The President stated his readiness to impose a “second phase” of sanctions on Russia, following its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Sunday, which damaged a cabinet building and caused the deaths of a mother and her infant.
“Yes, I am,” Trump responded to a reporter’s question about his readiness to proceed with additional sanctions, after months of unsuccessful attempts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt military operations or engage with Ukrainian President .
Trump mentioned that he still intends to communicate with “over the next couple of days,” although the intended outcome of this upcoming discussion remains unspecified.
He assured reporters on Sunday, stating, “We will resolve this. The Russia-Ukraine situation. We will resolve it.”
Trump expressed his displeasure with Russia’s assault on Sunday, noting that it damaged Kyiv’s Cabinet of Ministers Building and led to four fatalities, including a mother and infant, following the launch of 810 drones and 13 missiles throughout Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s air force, 747 drones and four of the launched missiles were successfully intercepted.
“I am displeased with the current developments,” Trump remarked. “I am confident we will find a resolution. However, I am not content with their actions. I am not satisfied with any aspect of that conflict.”
The attack occurred mere days after Putin reportedly claimed willingness to , provided the Ukrainian leader traveled to Moscow – a proposition that Western and Ukrainian officials alike considered both perilous for Zelenskyy and lacking genuine intent from Putin to negotiate an end to the conflict in good faith.
Trump informed reporters on Sunday that would also be traveling to Washington D.C. this week to discuss further strategies for ending the war, though he did not specify who would undertake the trip or if Zelenskyy would be included.
Last month, Putin stated that his conditions for a ceasefire would involve freezing the front lines in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia as they currently stand, but also seemed to imply that Ukraine would be required to withdraw its forces from Donetsk and Luhansk.
However, on Monday, Ukraine’s military announced the recapture of Zarichne, a town of strategic importance in Donetsk – a region Russia was estimated to control approximately 75% of last month.
Zarichne is situated close to Luhansk – a region believed to be almost entirely under Russian occupation – and lies near vital transportation links connecting key cities within Donetsk.
Additionally, Ukraine reported advances last month in regions near Pokrovsk in western Donetsk, where Russian forces have been focusing their summer .
Reuters contributed to this dispatch.