President Donald Trump held a briefing at the White House where he again addressed Russia’s war against Ukraine and criticized Vladimir Putin’s actions.
“I’m very disappointed in him. We always had a good relationship — that’s why I’m so disappointed,” Trump said. “Thousands of people are dying. Not Americans, but Russians and Ukrainians — thousands of them. This is a senseless war that never would’ve happened if I were still president.”
He went on to call the 2020 election “totally rigged” and “a disgrace,” linking the situation in Ukraine to what he described as a broader breakdown of leadership and accountability. “About 7,000 people are dying each week, mostly soldiers. If I can stop it, I feel it’s my responsibility to do so,” he added.
Trump reminded reporters that he had warned of “very serious consequences” for Russia if Putin refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Trump, the deadline he had set expired on September 1, and instead of negotiating, Putin escalated drone attacks on Ukrainian targets.
Looking ahead, Trump said: “We’ll see what happens, what they do. I’m watching this very closely.” He reiterated that the deaths of Russian and Ukrainian troops “must stop.”
President also hinted at having recently obtained sensitive information related to the war. “I wouldn’t want to say too much… I’ve learned some things that are going to be very interesting. You’ll hear about them in the next few days,” he said, responding to a question about whether he had spoken with Putin recently.
Commenting on the upcoming military parade in China featuring Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said, “China needs us a lot more than we need them.”
As for concerns about a growing Russia-China alliance against the U.S., Trump was dismissive: “I’m not worried at all. They’ll never use their military against us. That would be the worst mistake they could make.”
He concluded by warning that the U.S. may “take a different stance” on Russia if there’s no progress in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. “I actually had a very good meeting with Putin a couple of weeks ago,” Trump said. “Let’s see what comes out of it. If nothing does — we’ll take a different position.”
