Putin with Trump (File photo/AP)
US President Donald Trump has again criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing war in Ukraine, claiming the Russian leader “let me down” and suggesting that halting oil drilling could be key to ending the conflict.Speaking at the American Cornerstone Institute’s Founders Dinner at Mount Vernon, Trump argued that increased oil production would reduce prices and “automatically stop the war with Russia and Ukraine.” He said, “I am very disappointed in President Putin. Anywhere between 5,000-7,000 people are dying every week…”Trump reiterated his frustration during a press conference at Chequers with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. “He has let me down. I mean, he’s killing many people and he’s losing more people than he’s… than he’s killing. I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers,” he said.Reflecting on the conflict, Trump insisted that the war would never have occurred if he had remained in office. “This was a thing that would have never happened had I been president. If I were president, it would have never happened. And it didn’t happen for four years,” he said. “Most people agree it didn’t happen, nor was it close to happening.”Trump also recalled his diplomatic efforts with Putin, noting that despite a summit in Alaska where he urged the Russian president to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, no peace deal emerged. “I spoke to President Putin about Ukraine, it was the apple of his eye. I’ve said that many times… but he would have never done what he did, except that he didn’t respect the leadership of the US,” he added.He further suggested that Russia’s invasion in February 2022 was partly due to his absence from the White House, claiming Putin did not respect President Joe Biden’s leadership. Trump insisted that European nations could influence the war by reducing reliance on Russian energy. “If the oil prices come down, then Russia will settle,” he said.The Russia-Ukraine war began in 2014 with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has launched counteroffensives reclaiming territory, while Russia has secured areas including Mariupol and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
