President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin intends to launch a drone strike against Ukraine "very strong" over the weekend, a declaration that has raised alarms in Washington and abroad, even as Trump touts his efforts to bring peace to the region.

Shortly after Trump spoke with the Russian president over the phone for more than an hour, the Apocalypse was in a social media post, calling him “a good conversation, but not a conversation that would lead to an immediate peaceful one.” Trump appeared to accept Putin’s warning in his statement, and there was no indication that he urged restraint.

"President Putin does say, and very strongly, he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airport," Trump wrote. Truth Social wrote, referring to Ukraine's surprise drone strike that targeted five Russian air bases and damaged or destroyed at least 41 military aircraft, including strategic bombers. Ukraine's operations span five time zones and caused about $7 billion in losses, marking that one of Kiev's largest attacks since the beginning of the war was the deepest attack within Russian territory.

Read more: Ukraine's drone strike against Russia could become global norm

Trump's post briefly disappeared from his platform and then reappeared late Wednesday, sparking speculation about whether he had a second thought about his tone. The White House has not released a transcript of the call, nor has it clarified whether Trump is when Putin vowed to retaliate or provide support to Ukraine.

The statement is Trump's first public comment on the drone strike, which many experts see as a major blow to Russia. Although Trump has long promised that he could quickly end the war even before taking office, his latest interaction with Putin has not clarified how. Instead, some Democrats say this highlights his continued reluctance to criticize Russian leaders, which could cost more Ukrainian life even in the face of threatening escalation.

Read more: Trump discovers that Ukraine's war may be too complicated to fix

"Trump is playing," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat of Connecticut, in an interview on Wednesday morning. "I'm disappointed that Trump didn't fall on him and said you didn't have to respond. No Russians were injured or killed in this operation. Of course, it would make you look bad because it's humiliating. But there's no reason to kill people by bombing Ukrainian civilians, and that's what you plan to do."

Trump's silence on Putin's threat and the Senate's bipartisan push have imposed serious new sanctions on Russia. A sanctions bill co-authored by Blumental, South Carolina and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will slap huge penalties for any country that buys Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. The legislation targets China and India, which funded most of the Russian war economy and received support from more than 80 senators.

"That's what Trump said to Putin's starter," Blumenthal told Time. “I am supporting sanctions on anyone who purchases your energy products.”

But so far, Trump has refused to endorse the measure. His meditation on sanctions, but remains skeptical that economic pressure will end the war - especially if it jeopardizes his efforts to promote a broader foreign policy agenda, including the nuclear program to contain Iran.

In the same article he described Putin's retaliation against Ukraine, Trump expressed optimism about working with Russian leaders to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis after Iran's top leader Ali Khamenei criticized the US's proposed deal.

"I told President Putin that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, so I believe we agree," Trump wrote. "President Putin suggests that he will have a discussion with Iran, and maybe he may help derive that."

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democratic Senator of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described Trump's willingness to let Putin help reach a nuclear deal with Iran as "the complete opposite of the traditional American policy, and in fact standing with democracy." "You really want to tell me someone is going to pick up Vladimir Putin's words? I will tell you, someone - this is a fool."

"I don't believe Putin mediates or negotiates anything on my behalf," Blumenthal added.

The phone call between Trump and Putin was delayed by nearly 3.5 years in the war, and despite the increasing pressure on diplomatic breakthroughs, it showed no signs of weakening. Although the frontlines have been largely frozen since the second half of last year, the latest wave of attacks in Ukraine and Russian vows of revenge have made people more concerned about wider escalation. In addition to the drone strike last weekend, Ukraine's security agency said it had detonated explosives under the Keshi Bridge, a key Russian supply line in Crimea. Russian officials denied that the bridge had been damaged but said its troops occupied another village in Ukraine's Sumy region as part of an effort to establish a buffer zone at the border.

Read more: How Putin missed his shooting

The Ukrainian government has rejected a offer for Russia's latest ceasefire strategy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the Kremlin's latest proposal as "the last pass" on Wednesday and mocked the "political performance" in the second round of peace talks held in Türkiye.