President Donald Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine, as Washington continues its efforts to negotiate a peace deal.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
Thursday’s attack on Ukraine left at least 10 people dead and more than 90 injured, including children, according to Ukrainian officials, Fox News reported.
On Easter, Trump expressed optimism that Russia and Ukraine could reach a peace agreement this week, adding that once a deal is struck, both nations could “start to do big business with the United States of America…”
REPORTER: Sir, today you told Validmir Putin to stop with the attacks. Do you think he’ll listen to you?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 24, 2025
TRUMP: I do, yeah. pic.twitter.com/62SUxp89nI
In an April 11 post on Truth Social, President Trump called on Russia “to get moving” toward ending the war, expressing frustration over the ongoing conflict, which he described as “senseless,” and noting that “too many people are dying.”
Trump administration officials have described their discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin as productive, but a formal agreement to end the war, ongoing since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, has yet to be reached.
Recently, several administration figures have signaled that the United States may withdraw from its peace-brokering efforts if Ukraine and Russia fail to make meaningful progress toward ending the conflict.
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance appeared to issue a clear ultimatum to both nations: reach a deal, or risk the U.S. stepping away from the negotiating table.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,” Vance told reporters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio essentially told reporters the same thing earlier this month — that the Trump administration’s patience with the negotiations and the two warring parties has a short shelf life.
“We’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks,” Rubio said in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders.
“If it’s not possible, if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen, then I think the president is probably at a point where he’s going to say, ‘well, we’re done,’” Rubio added, per Reuters.
“Marco’s right in saying … we want to see it end,” Trump said later. When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was stalling, Trump replied: “I hope not.”
Trump also took aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling a recent statement “inflammatory” and “very harmful” to ongoing peace efforts.
Zelenskyy had declared that Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s control of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. Trump dismissed Zelenskyy’s stance as a nonstarter, saying the issue was “not even up for discussion.”
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump appeared to reference his well-known Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy, referring to the Ukrainian leader as “the man with no cards to play.”
The comment echoed Trump’s remarks during their tense February meeting, where he told Zelenskyy that he didn’t “have the cards” to make significant demands in peace negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that some progress has already been made toward a peace settlement, although communications with Washington have been challenging, Reuters further noted.
He emphasized that Russia is working to resolve the conflict while safeguarding its own interests. Peskov also noted that Moscow remains open to dialogue with the United States, Reuters added.
