President Donald Trump increased the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday while confirming that more weapons would be sent to Ukraine to support its defense during the ongoing war with Russia.
While speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump stated his displeasure with the Russian leader. “Putin is killing a lot of people,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of nonsense from him. He acts nice on the surface, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
Trump made it clear that Putin’s actions were not acceptable. He added, “He is not showing respect for human lives, and that’s why we are going ahead with providing Ukraine with defensive weapons.”
These comments followed a decision announced earlier by the White House, where the Pentagon had stopped delivery of certain important weapons to Ukraine.
Trump later confirmed on Monday that those weapons would now be shipped. He made that statement while speaking to reporters during a dinner meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
According to Trump, Ukraine must be allowed to protect itself. “They’re facing heavy attacks right now,” he explained. He mentioned that the shipment would mostly include defensive equipment and noted that “so many people are dying in that mess.”
Reversal on Halted Weapons and Direct Calls with Leaders
Among the items that were delayed are air defense missiles. This delay happened at a time when Russia had sharply increased its air attacks on Ukraine, especially during overnight hours.
Trump’s latest position showed a clear change from what was said the previous week, when White House spokesperson Anna Kelly announced that the Defense Department had paused some shipments after finding low stock levels in the U.S.
At that same time, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell mentioned that military aid to Ukraine and other countries was still under review.
When the pause was first made public, Ukrainian officials were confused and said they had not received any direct notice from the United States about a suspension. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he was trying to get more details from Washington.
Tension between Trump and Putin grew after a phone call last Thursday. Following that call, Russia launched a large-scale attack using 539 drones and 11 missiles, with most of the strikes aimed at Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s air force.
Trump expressed disappointment after speaking with Putin and said he didn’t believe the Russian leader was serious about ending the war or agreeing to any ceasefire.
Shortly after that, Trump and Zelensky spoke again on Friday. Following that conversation, Zelensky said the discussion they had was probably the most productive since the war began.
