Interesting seeing him take a harder stance on Putin too:
Talking to reporters in the White House, he said of Russian President Vladimir Putin: “He should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal.”
Trump was unprecedentedly stark, focusing on the economic damage done to Russia by the war. “I think Russia is going to be in big trouble. You take a look at their economy. You take a look at their inflation in Russia,” he added, referring to price rises edging towards 10%. “I got along with him great. I would hope he wants to make a deal.”
He loosely referenced Moscow’s staggering casualty rates in a war now nearing its fourth year in which Western officials estimate 700,000 Russians have been killed or injured.
“He can’t be thrilled,” Trump said of Putin. “He’s not doing so well. I mean, he’s grinding it out… it’s not making him look very good… I think he would be well off to end that war.”