Trump Says Putin ‘May Not Want to End the War’ After New Strikes in Ukraine

President Donald Trump criticized Russia for its recent missile strikes against Ukraine and suggested that President Vladimir Putin "may not want to end the conflict" after all.

In a post on Truth Social following his brief meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral on April 26, Trump hinted that it might be time for a tougher stance on Russia, possibly including new sanctions.

"There’s no reason for Putin to be launching missiles at Ukrainian cities, towns, and civilian areas over the past few days," Trump wrote. "It makes me think he doesn’t want to end the war, and instead is trying to take advantage of me. Too many lives are being lost."

The comments came after Trump and Zelensky held a roughly 15-minute meeting in Vatican City, which both sides described as "productive and constructive," although they released few details.

The Kremlin has not responded publicly to Trump’s remarks. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that President Putin had reiterated to Steve Witkoff—Trump’s special envoy—that Russia remains ready to resume peace talks with Ukraine "without preconditions."

Earlier, Zelensky said he discussed the possibility of an unconditional ceasefire with Trump, expressing hope that their "symbolic and potentially historic" meeting could lead to results.

"We have talked many times, and we hope there will be outcomes for everything we discussed," Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Protecting lives, achieving a full and unconditional ceasefire, and building credible, lasting peace to prevent future conflicts."

Trump, speaking on April 25, had said that ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine had made significant progress and called for the two leaders to meet directly to finalize a deal. He claimed that most major issues had already been agreed upon.

Despite encouraging talks, Trump has consistently pressured Zelensky to accept concessions—including recognizing Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as Russian territory—as part of any eventual peace agreement. Zelensky has firmly rejected any suggestion that Ukraine should give up Crimea.

(Sources: AFP, TASS, AP)

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