Trump finds fault with both Putin and Zelensky as he tries to push for deal to end war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump lashed out at both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, expressing frustration with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders as he struggles to forge a truce to end the war.

- Associated Press

WASHINGTON:

Although Trump insisted to reporters that "we're making a lot of progress," he acknowledged that "there's tremendous hatred" between the two men, a fresh indication that negotiations may not produce the swift conclusion that he promised during the campaign.

Trump began voicing his criticisms in an interview with NBC News while he was at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. He said he was "angry, pissed off" that Putin questioned Zelensky's credibility.

The Russian leader recently said that Zelensky lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal and suggested that Ukraine needed external governance.

Trump said he would consider adding new sanctions on Russia, which already faces steep financial penalties, and using tariffs to undermine its oil exports.

The Republican president rarely criticizes Putin, and he's previously attacked Zelensky's credibility himself. For example, Trump has suggested that Ukraine caused the war that began with a Russian invasion three years ago.