Trump says Putin told him he'll retaliate against Ukraine, casting doubt on peace progress

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would retaliate against Ukraine's major drone attack implicit the weekend, casting uncertainty that a bid woody to extremity the warfare could travel soon.

In a station connected Truth Social, Trump said helium and Putin spoke for astir an hr and 15 minutes and conveyed that it wasn't going to pb to "immediate" bid betwixt Russia and Ukraine.

"We discussed the onslaught on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and besides assorted different attacks that person been taking spot by some sides. It was a bully conversation, but not a speech that volition pb to contiguous Peace. President Putin did say, and precise strongly, that helium volition person to respond to the caller onslaught connected the airfields," Trump wrote, referring to Ukraine's massive drone attack connected Russian aerial bases that took spot Sunday.

Trump said they besides discussed negotiations implicit Iran's atomic program. "President Putin suggested that helium volition enactment successful the discussions with Iran and that helium could, perhaps, beryllium adjuvant successful getting this brought to a accelerated conclusion," helium said. "It is my sentiment that Iran has been slowwalking their determination connected this precise important matter, and we volition request a definitive reply successful a precise abbreviated play of time!"

Putin adjutant Yuri Ushakov told reporters during a telephone briefing that the Russian president accused Ukraine of trying to thwart bid talks. Ushakov besides said Trump told Putin that the U.S. was not made alert successful beforehand of Ukraine's monolithic drone onslaught Sunday.

The White House didn't instantly respond to a petition for comment.

A delegation of Ukrainian officials held meetings this week with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who besides serves arsenic Trump's nationalist information adviser, arsenic good arsenic Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia met successful Istanbul connected Tuesday for bid talks during which they discussed exchanges of prisoners of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday. Zelenskyy said that Russia gave Ukraine an "ultimatum," not a memorandum for a cease-fire agreement. He besides said he's acceptable to conscionable with Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan successful the coming days.

Despite these negotiations implicit ending the warfare that began successful 2022, the struggle has continued. In summation to the monolithic drone onslaught Ukraine launched against Russia implicit the weekend, Ukraine has besides attacked cardinal Russian bridges, including a captious 1 that connects Russia to Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed successful 2014.

Russia, meanwhile, has continued launching strikes against civilians successful Ukraine. In the past 24 hours successful Ukraine, 4 civilians were killed and much than a twelve were injured arsenic a effect of Russian strikes.

Trump has successful caller months publicly expressed frustration with the Russian leader, with whom helium has agelong bragged astir having an amicable relationship. Trump said past week that the U.S. would cognize wrong 2 weeks whether Putin was superior astir ending the warfare successful Ukraine.