MoscowIn his first public remarks regarding the suspension of some supplies as Russia intensifies its most recent offensive, President Donald Trump lamented Thursday that the United States had given Ukraine too many weapons during the previous administration.
Before boarding Air Force One for a visit to Iowa, Trump told reporters that former President Joe Biden has drained our entire nation of weapons, and we must ensure that we have plenty for ourselves.
armaments being withheld from Ukraine include precision-guided artillery, air defense missiles, and other armaments.
Trump said he wasn’t entirely stopping US aid to Ukraine in his remarks to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
He stated, “We are working with them and trying to help them,” and added, “We have given so many weapons.”
Trump claimed that his lengthy conversation with Putin failed to advance the war’s resolution, despite the Republican president’s pledge to do so quickly.
That doesn’t make me happy,” he replied.
The Kremlin called the discussion “frank and constructive.” It was the sixth time the two leaders had spoken in public since Trump’s return to the White House.
Putin stressed the necessity to settle any disputes solely through political and diplomatic channels when speaking about the situation in Iran and the larger Middle East, according to his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.
He added that the leaders decided to keep in touch with U.S. and Russian authorities over the matter.
The United States intervened in Israel’s campaign to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program on June 22 by hitting three locations in Iran.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov stated that Putin expressed Moscow’s willingness to continue talks with Kyiv, pointing out that the previous rounds in Turkey had humanitarian outcomes, while Trump underlined his desire for an immediate end to the bloodshed.
In addition, Ushakov stated that Moscow will work to accomplish its objectives in Ukraine and eliminate the underlying causes of the war.
Following the call, Ushakov assured reporters that Russia will not compromise on these objectives.
Kyiv and its supporters have denied Putin’s claims that he ordered soldiers into Ukraine in February 2022 to safeguard Russian speakers there and to counter a threat to Russia posed by Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. He said that Ukraine must give up its NATO bid and acknowledge Russia’s territorial advances in any future peace agreement.
According to Ushakov, the Trump-Putin call did not address the possibility of suspending certain U.S. arms transfers to Ukraine.
Following a meeting with key supporters of the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in Denmark that he might speak with Trump over the suspension in the days ahead.
“I’m hoping to talk to President Trump about it tomorrow or in the near future,” he said.
Trump and Putin’s last reported phone conversation took place on June 14, one day after Israel’s strike on Iran.
Trump and Putin’s renewed communication seemed to indicate their desire to rebuild the U.S.-Russian relationship, which has fallen to its lowest level since the Cold War.
During what he called a “frank, businesslike, and concrete conversation,” Ushakov said the leaders talked about the situation in Syria and indicated interest in pursuing bilateral initiatives in the energy industry and space exploration.
Putin even proposed that the United States and Russia trade films that uphold the traditional principles that the Trump administration and the United States share, the Kremlin adviser continued.
The first direct phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron in over three years took place on Tuesday.
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Contributions were made by Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Aarhus, Denmark, and Aamer Madhani in Washington.
