U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin following a series of intense Russian attacks across Ukraine over the weekend, despite ongoing calls from the West for a ceasefire.
Trump, reacting to the strikes, claimed Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY,” a remark that sent shockwaves through the Russian markets. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said, “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
Though Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by “really bad things,” sources close to the administration suggest more sanctions against Moscow may be imminent. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering new penalties, though they are unlikely to target Russia’s banking sector.
Meanwhile, two senior Western officials stated that Trump is “seriously considering” lifting all restrictions imposed during Joe Biden’s presidency on Ukraine’s military operations, citing the latest wave of Russian aggression as the catalyst.
Despite his historically warm tone toward Putin, Trump has recently expressed frustration over Moscow’s dismissal of his 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposal.
After a recent phone call with Putin, Trump said he would “see how Russia behaves,” adding that Putin had proposed a memorandum for ceasefire talks with Kyiv, though he stopped short of agreeing to the West’s ultimatum.
