US President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "let him down" when he attempted to broker a resolution of the Ukraine war.
His words were echoed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who roundly condemned Moscow, blaming Putin for showing his "true face" by launching the most ferocious attack since the outbreak of war.
Addressing a joint press conference at Chequers, Trump acknowledged that even though he had earlier thought the Russia-Ukraine situation would be the "easiest" to solve, it proved much more difficult. Nevertheless, he remained optimistic that a solution would be found eventually.
The remarks were made following a meeting in Alaska this year, where Trump had pushed Putin to have direct negotiations with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The talks, however, did not result in any peace accord.
"I thought the most easy to stop was the Russia-Ukraine war but Putin has disappointed me. I thought it could be easiest. You know we are fighting for a solution for Israel and Gaza, we are fighting to end so many wars, we'll get Israel-Gaza done, similarly, Russia and Ukraine too will be done, but you never know with war," Trump said to journalists.
He continued to point out, "I mean, seriously, the Russian soldiers are being killed more than the Ukrainian soldiers. But, yeah, he's let me down."
"I thought the Russia-Ukraine war was the easiest to stop but Putin has let me down. I thought it may be easiest. As you know, we are working for a solution for Israel and Gaza, we are working to solve so many conflicts, we will get Israel-Gaza done, likewise, Russia and Ukraine will also be done, but you never know in war," Trump said.
He added, "I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers. But, yeah, he's let me down."
"In recent days, Putin has shown his true face mounting the biggest attack since the invasion began, with yet more bloodshed, yet more innocents killed, and unprecedented violations of NATO airspace," Starmer said. "These are not the actions of someone who wants peace. So we've discussed today how we can build our defences to further support Ukraine, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal that will last," he added.
The joint press conference was also the last day of Trump's state visit to the UK. As part of the visit, the two leaders launched a historic technology investment agreement, which officials labeled as a multibillion-dollar package in nuclear energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. Describing it as a "groundbreaking" win, Starmer praised it as Britain's biggest investment deal, with the potential to create thousands of new jobs.
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