BURSTPresident Trump said he didn’t bring up his Easter plea to halt attacks on Ukraine during a phone call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a post on Truth Social at the time, Trump posted “Vladimir, STOP!” after a particularly devastating attack in which Russian missile strikes against Kyiv killed a dozen civilians and injured scores more.
“No, I didn’t bring that up,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about the president’s specific appeal to Putin. “But I did say it’s time, you got to stop this thing, and I believe he wants to stop.”
Putin has rebuffed attempts by the U.S. and Europe to broker a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump on Monday instead backed the Kremlin’s idea of beginning negotiations on a memorandum to end the war, without any immediate commitments to halt hostilities.
Trump said he was holding back imposing sanctions on Russia, believing Putin could still be coaxed along.
“I think there’s a chance of getting something done,” the president said.
Trump said he believed Putin has “had it,” with the war in Ukraine, when asked by a reporter what gave him confidence that the Russian leader was open to ending the war.
“I think he's had enough. It's been a long time. This has been going on for more than three years,” Trump said. He added that Putin was having trouble “extraditing” himself from the war.
But Putin is showing no signs of backing off the war. Russia on Sunday launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine since the start of the war, Reuters reported, destroying homes and killing at least one woman.
Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky twice on Monday, before and after his call with Putin. European leaders joined Zelensky in the second call with Trump.
Ukraine’s supporters in Europe and Washington are pushing Trump to impose consequences on Russia for Putin’s failure to make progress on halting the war.
The Financial Times reported that one person familiar with the conversation said the leaders on the call were stunned by Trump’s description of Putin's commitments. They added it was clear Trump was “not ready to put greater pressure” on Putin to come to the negotiating table in earnest.
Europe is expected to impose a 17th round of sanctions on Russia on Tuesday and is readying an 18th package of sanctions.
"Europe and America are very united on this point: We will closely support Ukraine on its path toward a ceasefire. Europe will increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions. We agreed on this with [President Trump] after his conversation with Putin,” Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted on X.