Donald Trump said he is “not done” with Vladimir Putin as he made clear his frustration with Russia’s President during a candid interview with the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue – and admitted he “trusts almost nobody”.
The billionaire spoke at length to the corporation’s North America correspondent on a wide range of subjects, from the war in Ukraine to US relations with the UK, with the White House contacting Mr O’Donoghue minutes earlier to say the President wanted to talk. Asked to sum up his attitude to Putin more than six months since returning to the White House for a second term, Mr Trump claimed the pair had been on the brink of striking a deal to end the war on four occasions. He explained: “I’m disappointed – I’m not done with him, but i’m disappointed in him.
“We had a deal done four times, and then you go home and you see just attacked a nursing home or something in Kiev.
“I said ‘what the hell was that all about?'”
Asked if he trusted Putin, Mr Trump took a lengthy pause before saying: “I trust almost nobody to be honest with you.”
On Monday, Mr Trump threatened Russia with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration about unsuccessful negotiations for ending the war.
The latest steps reflect an evolving approach from the Republican president, who promised to swiftly resolve the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he invaded Ukraine three years ago.
Mr Trump once focused his criticism on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he described as unwilling to compromise, but more recently has expressed growing irritation toward Putin.
Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine’s air defenses are struggling to counter.
June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said.
At the same time, Russia’s bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1,000-kilomete (620-mile) front line.