Trump is not happy with Putin’s new missile, drone attacks on Ukraine

President Trump gave a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP!” after Ukraine was hit with missile attacks.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Mr. Trump wrote Thursday on social media. “Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia launched missiles and drones on Kyiv overnight, marking the deadliest attack on the city since last summer, leaving at least 12 dead and 90 injured.

Mr. Trump said ahead of his bilateral lunch with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store that “I have my own deadline and we want it to be fast” when it comes to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Things will happen” if a deal isn’t made between Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Trump said during the bilateral Oval Office meeting.

“This war is endable, both sides just have to agree to it,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “We’ve shown them a pathway forward, we’ve discussed those ideas. It was a good meeting yesterday, there will be good meetings over the weekend.”

“We’ve shown them the finish line. We need both of them to say yes,” he said, adding that the strike on Ukraine shows this war needs to end.

Mr. Trump said there’s “a lot of pressure on both.”

Mr. Store said, “The important thing is that both parties have to know that they have to deliver and they have to feel the pressure to deliver.”

He said, “I salute the team of President Trump for being open in that process” and said the meeting between the two world leaders was good.

The criticism of Mr. Putin comes a day after Mr. Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being disagreeable about peace talks.

Mr. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that his country “will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea.”

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SEE ALSO: Trump tells Putin to ‘STOP!’ after deadly missile strikes on Kyiv

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Crimea has been occupied by Russia since 2014. Mr. Trump said the Ukrainian president’s comments are “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama and is not even a point of discussion.”

“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” he said Wednesday. “The area also houses, for many years before ’the Obama handover,’ major Russian submarine bases. It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War.”

The president said Mr. Zelenskyy has “nothing to boast about” and called the war situation in Ukraine “dire.”

“He can have Peace or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country. I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever,” he said. 

He said Mr. Zelenskyy’s comment will continue the “killing field.”

“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE. I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!” he said on social media.

Peace talks are continuing. Officials from several countries met in London on Wednesday to discuss a ceasefire deal. Special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow for more discussions with Mr. Putin.

Tensions have been rising, though, and Mr. Trump is not happy with how long the talks have been drawn out. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that what Mr. Trump “is asking is for people to come to the negotiating table, recognizing that this has been a brutal war for far too long.”

“And in order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little bit unhappy, and unfortunately, President Zelenskyy has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press, and that’s unacceptable to the president,” she said.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday said he thinks “we have a deal with Russia” in regards to a ceasefire deal.

“If I can solve it because of a certain ability, that will be great. And if it doesn’t happen, I will say that I think Russia is ready. And a lot of people said Russia wanted to go for the whole thing,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelenskyy, and I hope that Zelenskyy, I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy. So far, it’s been harder,” he said. “But that’s OK. It’s all right, but I think we have a deal with both.”