Pakistan(National Times)- WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is sending mixed signals about Russian President Vladimir Putin.\u00a0\u00a0 This back-and-forth has left many people confused, especially as the war in Ukraine drags on. World leaders are watching closely, unsure of what Trump will do next \u2014 and whether his words will turn into real action to bring about peace in Ukraine. The Republican billionaire, who returned to office in January vowing to end the war “in 24 hours”, has long appeared to side with his Russian counterpart, frequently speaking of him with gushing admiration. Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, has been a frequent target of Trump\u2019s ire, as seen with the spectacular dressing down of the Ukrainian leader in a tense Oval Office meeting in March. But the US president has in recent weeks shown growing frustration with Putin\u2019s position in deadlocked truce negotiations with Kyiv. And in statements made on Sunday, Trump, who is facing increasing calls from Republican lawmakers to take a tougher stance against Putin, seemed to change his tone. After Moscow unleashed a particularly deadly barrage of drones against its western neighbour, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he believed Putin “wants ALL of Ukraine”. Pursuing such a goal, he warned in a rare rebuke of the Russian leader, “will lead to the downfall of Russia!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I\u2019ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” There was little sign his criticism made an impact, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggesting Monday the “very critical moment” was fraught with “emotional reactions”. And following Trump\u2019s outburst, Moscow fired 355 drones at Ukraine overnight in the biggest such attack since Moscow\u2019s 2022 invasion, according to Kyiv \u2013 a day after Russian strikes killed 13 people. Russia\u2019s weekend onslaught came as diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war stepped up, with a prisoner exchange and direct talks between the two sides. European leaders voiced hope that Trump\u2019s expressed anger might signal a shift ahead. “President Trump realises that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied,” France\u2019s leader Emmanuel Macron told reporters during a trip to Vietnam. “We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger, a form of impatience,” the French president said. “I simply hope now that this translates into action.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macron said it was time to threaten Russia with “much more massive sanctions” to persuade it to end the conflict. “The credibility of the United States is at stake.” But it remains unclear what path Trump might choose in coming days, especially since he has not let up on his relentless criticism of Ukraine\u2019s leader. In his social media post on Sunday, Trump also slammed Zelensky, who had warned earlier that “the silence of America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin”. Zelensky was “doing his Country no favours by talking the way he does,” Trump wrote. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don\u2019t like it, and it better stop,” he said. While flush with bluster, Trump\u2019s foreign policy achievements to date remain rather meagre, be it on Ukraine, the Iran nuclear programme or the war raging in Gaza. During his first term, Trump also boasted of unique access and deal-making potential, including meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. While unprecedented for a Western leader, those meetings ultimately appeared to do little to change Kim\u2019s provocative behaviour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan(National Times)- WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is sending mixed signals about Russian President Vladimir Putin.\u00a0\u00a0 This back-and-forth has left many people confused, especially as the war in Ukraine drags on. World leaders are watching closely, unsure of what Trump will do next \u2014 and whether his words will turn into real action to bring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n