‘Playing With Fire’: Trump’s New Attack on the Russian Leader
Vladimir Putin was scolded by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday for “playing with fire,” a new jab at his Russian counterpart over the deadlocked peace attempts in Ukraine.
Trump made his most recent remarks after calling the leader of the Kremlin “CRAZY” over the weekend in response to a large-scale Russian airstrike on Kyiv and warning that Moscow might face fresh penalties.
On his Truth Social network, Trump stated, “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realise is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean BAD.”
“He’s playing with fire!”
Trump made no concrete threats and did not define what the “really bad” things were.
Although they emphasised that he may still change his mind, the Wall Street Journal and CNN both stated that Trump was now thinking about imposing new penalties on Russia as early as this week.
On Sunday, Trump informed reporters that he was “absolutely” considering tightening sanctions against Moscow.
In contrast to his earlier stance toward Putin, whom he frequently praises and has refrained from criticizing, the U.S. president’s latest rebukes represent a significant shift.
However, Trump has become more and more irritated with Moscow’s stance in the impassed ceasefire talks with Kyiv.
When Russia launched a record drone onslaught at Ukraine over the weekend, killing at least 13 people, that annoyance erupted.
“My relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been excellent, but something has happened to him. He has completely lost his mind. Trump stated on Sunday evening in a post on Truth Social.
Despite a phone conversation between Trump and Putin eight days ago, during which the US leader claimed that the Russian president had agreed to “immediately” begin peace negotiations, Russia’s strikes have persisted.
Moscow said Tuesday that Kyiv’s aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent days were a “response” to increasing Ukrainian drone strikes on its own civilians and accused Kyiv of attempting to “disrupt” peace efforts.
