President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will help Ukraine obtain advanced U.S.-made weaponry, along with his threats of tariffs against Moscow, marks his strongest comments yet in support of Kyiv and is the latest twist in his shifting positions toward Russia and Ukraine.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Trump for a long time avoided directly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even praised Putin’s moves as “genius” and “savvy,” echoing the Kremlin’s narratives on the start of the war. At campaign rallies, he repeatedly pledged to end the war within 24 hours of becoming president.
His apparent sympathy for Russia was evident when he blamed Ukraine for the war during a contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February.
But this month, Trump expressed frustration over Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine and began threatening sanctions - causing some concern among Russia’s elite that Putin may have overplayed his hand.
Here’s how we got here.
2023–2024: Trump repeatedly promises to end the war
During the presidential campaign, Trump appeared to blame Zelenskyy for the war and refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win.
Privately, he said he could end the war in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to give up territory, as The Washington Post reported. Publicly, he repeatedly pledged to stop the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House, without providing details of how. In March 2025, he said he was “a little bit sarcastic” when he claimed he could end the war in only 24 hours - although he had repeated the line several times at campaign rallies.
Feb. 18, 2025: Trump claims Ukraine was to blame
Trump angered Ukrainians by falsely claiming that Zelenskyy was responsible for the Russian invasion and describing him as “a Dictator without Elections” - echoing Kremlin statements and ignoring the fact that widespread displacement and military deployment make voting nearly impossible in Ukraine.
Trump’s comments came after U.S. and Russian officials held talks on Ukraine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - without any Ukrainian or NATO representatives - unsettling Ukrainians and giving Russia a diplomatic opening.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh, we weren’t invited,’” Trump said. “Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it. … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
Feb. 28: Trump blasts Zelenskyy in Oval Office
Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House descended into a shouting match as Trump and Vice President JD Vance confronted the Ukrainian leader.
“You’re right now not in a very good position,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
The public dispute had no modern precedent and was particularly striking after generations of U.S. presidents had presented staunch opposition to Kremlin aggression. Following the meeting, a senior administration official said a policy review was underway, with large amounts of U.S. equipment at stake.
March 30: Trump says he is ‘angry’ at Putin
Trump said he was “angry” at Putin for questioning Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and would consider more tariffs on Russian oil if he and the Russian president could not end “the bloodshed in Ukraine” and “if I think it was Russia’s fault.”
Although he has criticized Zelenskyy’s credibility in the past, Trump again went after the Ukrainian leader, accusing him of trying to back out of a rare metals deal with the U.S. He said that while he was “disappointed” with Putin, he also trusted him, adding: “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word.”
April 24: Trump tells Putin to stop attacks
Trump again criticized Putin following further Russian strikes on Ukraine.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”
April 26: Trump meets Zelenskyy at the Vatican
Trump met privately with Zelenskyy at the Vatican, where both leaders were attending Pope Francis’s funeral. It was their first face-to-face meeting since the White House encounter. Zelenskyy described the quiet, one-on-one meeting as a “very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
Meanwhile, Trump criticized Putin and Russian strikes on social media, saying the attacks made him “think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’” He added: “Too many people are dying!!!”
April 30: US and Ukraine sign minerals deal
Washington signed a contentious minerals agreement with Kyiv, which fell short of providing concrete security guarantees but affirmed a “long-term strategic alignment” and U.S. “support for Ukraine’s security, prosperity, reconstruction and integration into global economic frameworks.”
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
May 19: Trump-Putin call
In a phone call with Putin, Trump appeared to accept Russia’s demand to postpone a ceasefire, opening the way for continued fighting.
May 25: Trump calls Putin ‘CRAZY’
Trump threatened new sanctions after another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine.
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” he continued. “I’ve known him a long time.”
Separately, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
“Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
June 25: Trump and Zelenskyy have ‘nice’ meeting
Trump and Zelenskyy met at a NATO summit in The Hague.
Trump described the meeting as “very nice,” saying of Zelenskyy: “Couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’d like to see an end to this.” He added that he would “speak to Vladimir Putin and see if we can get it ended.”
Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed Ukraine’s desire to purchase U.S. Patriot air defense systems.
July 8: Trump calls Putin promises ‘meaningless’
Trump escalated criticism of Putin and reiterated plans to send more weapons to Ukraine - days after the White House said the Pentagon had paused delivery of some key arms.
“I’m not happy with Putin. I can tell you that much right now, because he’s killing a lot of people,” Trump said.
He added: “You want to know the truth? He is very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
July 13: Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine
In his strongest shift toward Ukraine during his presidency, Trump said he would help Ukraine obtain advanced weapons, including Patriot missiles, paid for by the European Union.
He said he was “disappointed” with Putin, telling reporters: “I thought he was somebody that meant what he said.”
The next day, he threatened tariffs on Russia if the war did not stop within 50 days and said Ukrainians “continue to fight with tremendous courage.”
Although Russian officials downplayed the shift, noting that a lot could happen on the battlefield in 50 days, the move sparked anxiety among Russia’s elite, with some fearing Putin had missed an opportunity.