U.S. President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin that since the Russian full-scale invasion began in early 2022, Russia has launched some of the largest drone and missile attacks, launching some of the largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
"What Vladimir Putin didn't realize is that if it weren't for me, there's a lot of real bad things going on in Russia, and I mean it's really bad," Trump said in a post about truth socialization. "He's playing with fire!"
Trump's latest post shows that Putin's administration is getting increasingly frustrated due to apparent uneasiness about the war. The Russian leader offered no concessions and had no interest in the ceasefire demanded by Ukraine and its Western allies.
"President Putin is angry at President Trump's anger," State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday.
Bruce hinted that Trump may be close to taking action against Russia. "As we see with Putin today..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Trump said on Sunday that he would "absolutely" consider new sanctions on Moscow. He spoke before Russia launched a huge drone barrage on Ukraine. Kiev authorities said more than 350 explosive drones and at least nine cruise missiles were fired on the country.
"He killed a lot of people," Trump said of Putin on Sunday. "I don't know what's wrong with him. What's wrong with him?"
Trump and Putin made a phone call on May 19, and the U.S. president said Russia and Ukraine would “start negotiations immediately with a ceasefire and, more importantly, the war is over!”
But since then, the frustration in Washington has not happened. Trump asked Putin to provide a clause form outlining Russia's ceasefire requirements, but so far, no documents have been found.
Meanwhile, a sanctions bill co-written by Sen. Lindsey Graham is a South Carolina Republican, one of Trump’s most prominent legislative allies, who continues to gain support in the House of Lords. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Graham said he has coordinated his legislative efforts with the White House.
Graham said the measure would put Russia on a "trade island, hitting tariffs of 500% on any country that buys Moscow's energy products." "If China or India stops buying cheap oil, Putin's war machine will stop," he continued, adding that the bill has 82 co-sponsors.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa said in an article on X that when Trump believed that friendship with Putin ended the war, he believed Trump was sincere. "It's the situation now, it's time to make a powerful Enuf, so Putin knows 'game'," he said.
Asked in the Senate last week whether he would support the Graham sanctions bill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said if it was obvious that “Russians are not interested in a peace deal and they want to continue fighting, that’s likely to be until then.”