President Donald Trump said on 7 April that he is “not happy” about Russia’s ongoing strikes in Ukraine, as the United States attempts to broker peace between the two nations.
“I’m not happy about what’s going on with the bombing because they’re bombing like crazy right now. They’re bombing — I don’t know what’s happening there. That’s not a good situation,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The president made these remarks in response to a question about why his new tariff plan excluded Russia. Trump explained that the US is “not doing business, essentially, with Russia, because they’re at war.”
Trump claimed that American officials are engaged in discussions with both Russia and Ukraine, suggesting they are “getting sort of close” to an agreement, though he did not specify whether this meant a ceasefire was imminent.
The White House had previously attributed the absence of new tariffs on Russia to ongoing US negotiations with Moscow aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s ongoing bombardment of Ukraine follows a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih that killed at least 19 people, including nine children, on 4 April. Reports indicate this was one of the deadliest attacks in the war this year.
Trump also told officials earlier this month that he was “pissed off” during a recent call with the Russian leader, who rejected Trump’s proposal for an immediate and complete ceasefire in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged that Russian forces are violating the truce in Ukraine and warned that “Trump will not fall into the trap of endless negotiations.”
