Mr Trump recalled he “got along great” with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his first term as US president.<\/p>\n
Mr Putin spoke of his “pragmatic and trusting” relations with Mr Trump and remarked that the then-presidential candidate behaved like a “real man” during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Now, Mr Trump has described the 24-hour declaration as an “exaggeration” to “make a point”.<\/p>\n
“Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended,” Mr Trump said in an interview.<\/p>\n
About six months into his second term as US president, the war wages on.<\/p>\n
Here’s how the Trump-Putin relationship has waxed and waned since the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n
In the first days of January, Mr Trump made it clear that he “could understand”<\/a> Mr Putin’s feelings about Ukraine potentially joining NATO.<\/p>\n By the time he was sworn in late in January, Mr Trump discussed a future meeting<\/a> with his Russian counterpart.<\/p>\n “I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended,” Mr Trump said.<\/p>\n “From what I hear, Putin would like to see me, and we’ll leave as soon as we can. I’d meet immediately.<\/p>\n “Every day we don’t meet, soldiers are being killed in the battlefield.”<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n After the first official call in February, Mr Trump said Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted peace, and that he expected at least three in-person meetings with the Russian president.<\/p>\n “He wants it to end. He doesn’t want to end it and then go back to fighting six months later,” Mr Trump said.<\/p>\n “We expect that he’ll come here and I’ll go there, and probably the first time we’ll meet in Saudi Arabia to see if we can get something done.<\/p>\n “We want to end that war, that war is a disaster.”<\/p>\n In a matter of weeks, Mr Trump’s tone on the war, and support for Ukraine, began to shift after a now-infamous heated back-and-forth<\/a> with Mr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n The US later suspended military aid and intelligence<\/a> sharing with Ukraine.<\/p>\n “You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty,” Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy in the meeting at the Oval Office.<\/p>\n “You don’t have the cards. Once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position. But you’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest. That’s not a nice thing.”<\/p>\n That was the first time intelligence sharing between the two countries had been cut off since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.<\/p>\n In less than three days, Russia attacked energy facilities in Ukraine<\/a> with dozens of missiles and drones leaving at least 10 people injured.<\/p>\n The attack restricted the country’s ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens, and to power weapons factories vital to its defences.<\/p>\n Ukrainian emergency services rushed to scenes of destruction across the country on March 7, 2025.<\/p>\n \u00a0 (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)<\/p>\n The Trump administration lifted the pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine days<\/a> after the attack.<\/p>\n It came after a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudia Arabia, where a 30-day ceasefire deal was agreed to by Ukraine.<\/p>\n Within days, Mr Trump was taking questions<\/a> from reporters aboard Air Force One about his second phone call with Mr Putin.<\/p>\n “I’ll be speaking to President Putin [tomorrow]. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend,” Trump said in late March.<\/p>\n “We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.<\/p>\n “I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n There was no 30-day ceasefire in March but in late April, Mr Putin announced a temporary “Easter truce”<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Kremlin claimed the ceasefire would last from 6pm, Moscow time, on Saturday April 19 to midnight following Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n By the following Friday, Russia had launched 145 drones and 70 missiles, including 11 ballistic missiles, in the attack on the capital Kyiv<\/a>, Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram.<\/p>\n At least 12 people were killed and 90 were injured.<\/p>\n “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 said in a social post.<\/p>\n “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”Loading…<\/p>\n By the middle of May, Ukraine and European leaders agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire<\/a> from May 12 with the backing of Mr Trump.<\/p>\n About a week later, Mr Trump had another phone call with Mr Putin, after which the US president again mentioned a ceasefire was close.<\/p>\n “Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well,” Mr Trump said in social post.<\/p>\n “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.<\/p>\n “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be.”<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n But within days of Mr Trump’s conversation with Mr Putin, Ukrainian officials said they were hit with 367 drones and missiles<\/a> from the evening of May 24 to the following day.<\/p>\n At the time, it was the largest single attack during the war, according to Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat.<\/p>\n At least 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured.<\/a><\/p>\n Mr Trump condemned Mr Putin, going as far to say his actions would “lead to the downfall of Russia”.<\/p>\n “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” Mr Trump said in a social post.<\/p>\n “He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.<\/p>\n “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right.”Loading…<\/p>\n In June, Ukraine launched Operation Spider’s Web<\/a>, which targeted scores of Moscow’s nuclear-capable long-range bombers at sites deep inside Russia.<\/p>\n Ukrainian officials claimed the attack destroyed 34 per cent of Russia’s fleet of air missile carriers.<\/p>\n There were no casualties, according to Russia’s defence ministry.<\/p>\n By the end of the week Moscow retaliated with strikes that killed four people<\/a>, injured 20, and triggered fires in residential buildings in different parts of Kyiv, city authorities said.<\/p>\n In response to the recent hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, Mr Trump compared them to children.<\/p>\n “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,” he said.<\/p>\n “You see, in hockey, you see it in sports. The referees let them go for a couple of seconds, let them go for a little while before you pull them apart.”<\/p>\n By the end of June, Mr Trump was again calling on Russia’s leader to end the war. (REUTERS: Chip Somodevilla)<\/p>\n Then in less than a week, Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv was hit by drone and missile<\/a> attacks.<\/p>\n Days later, residents of Kharkiv were hit again<\/a>, this time with nine minutes of continuous drone strikes.<\/p>\n When the drones were approaching, local resident Olena Khoruzheva raced to the hallway with her two children.<\/p>\n Her youngest son lay on the floor with his hands over his head.<\/p>\n “I was on top of him,” the 41-year-old pharmacist told AFP.<\/p>\n “We heard it approaching, silence, and then we were thrown against the wall.”<\/p>\n At least 10 people were killed, and more than 70 injured in the attacks.<\/p>\n By the end of June, Mr Trump spoke at the NATO summit saying<\/a>, “Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war.”<\/p>\n The assault on Kharkiv sparked fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment block. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)<\/p>\n By July, Mr Trump threatened supporting a bill<\/a> that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500 per cent tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports.<\/p>\n He also pledged to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.<\/p>\n “We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Mr Trump said at a cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”<\/p>\n When asked by a reporter what action he would take against Mr Putin, Mr Trump said: “I wouldn’t tell you. We want to have a little surprise.”<\/p>\n Hours later, Russia fired a record 728 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n Russia’s most recent attacks on Ukraine prompted Mr Trump to set a new deadline for ending the war.<\/p>\n Two weeks ago, it was 50 days. Now it’s within days.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n