Kyiv's daring strikes on Russian airfields Sunday destroyed several nuclear-capable aircraft worth billions of dollars, and dominated the third call between the Russian and US presidents since Trump returned to power.
“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,“ Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network, after a call that he said lasted an hour and 15 minutes.
The Kremlin described the call, which also focused on negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, as “positive” and “productive”, adding that Trump had told Putin that Washington was not informed in advance about the drone strikes.
“When he feels neither strength nor pressure, but weakness, he commits yet more crimes,“ Zelensky said in an online post.
Trump made no mention of whether he had warned Putin off retaliating against US ally Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, sparking a grinding war.
Trump has however also shown growing frustration with Putin -- last week calling him “crazy” -- as Russia has continued attacks and derailed Trump’s campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours.
The Vatican said the US-born pontiff had pressed Putin during the call to make a “gesture that favors peace”. Pope Leo has previously offered to host Ukraine peace talks.
Putin earlier accused Ukraine of being behind “terrorist” attacks on bridges in its border regions over the weekend, including one that caused a train to derail, killing seven people.
“Why reward them by giving them a break from the combat, which will be used to pump the regime with Western arms, to continue their forced mobilization and to prepare different terrorist acts,“ Putin said in a televised government meeting.
'Ultimatum'
Moscow's demands included Ukraine fully pulling out of four regions -- Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- that Russia claims to have annexed but does not have full control over.
The White House says Trump is “open” to such a meeting.
Ukrainian troops have been suffering months of setbacks on the battlefield.
Russia’s army said it had captured another village in Ukraine’s Sumy border region as it seeks to establish what it calls a “buffer zone” inside Ukrainian territory.
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