U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to halt hostilities and commit to a peace agreement with Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump said, “I want him to stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal. We have the confines of a deal, I believe. And I want him to sign it.”
Trump’s remarks came after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome, on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral. Following their discussion, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Putin for recent missile strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days,” Trump wrote. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war—he’s just stringing me along and needs to be dealt with differently, perhaps through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions’? Too many people are dying!!!”
Earlier, on April 25, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow, pressing him to sign the U.S.-brokered peace proposal aimed at ending the three-year conflict.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of the coming week, telling NBC, “We’re close, but we’re not close enough” to finalizing an agreement to end the fighting. “I think this is going to be a very critical week,” he added.
Trump has been actively advocating for a ceasefire, reportedly proposing a deal that would see the U.S. formally recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea and tacitly accept Moscow’s control over additional territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
However, Kyiv and its European allies have resisted the proposal, insisting that territorial issues be addressed only after a full ceasefire and based on the current line of control. They are also pushing for strong security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any eventual settlement.
