Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin may not want peace and may need to be ‘dealt with differently’

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine had left him concerned that Russia did not want to end the war as he issued an unusually stern rebuke of President Vladimir Putin and threatened new sanctions on Moscow.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently,” Trump wrote of the Russian assault, hours after holding an impromptu meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican.

Trump wrote on social media that “too many people” were dying and that “there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns.” He said he was considering banking sanctions as well as “secondary sanctions,” penalties imposed on nations or parties that trade with the sanctioned country.

The statement came at a sensitive moment in the talks to end three years of full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine and after the United States proposed a peace plan this past week that sharply favored Russia.

Trump, who upbraided Zelensky at the White House in February and has at times cast him as an impediment to peace, has maintained that he is exerting pressure on both countries to secure a deal.

But after Russia on Thursday launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, that killed at least 12 people, Trump wrote on social media: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Since the assault, Trump has faced some pressure from within his own party to take a harder line on Moscow.

In a statement Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged Trump to place heavy sanctions on Putin, saying there was “clear evidence” that the Russian leader was “playing America as a patsy.”

Others joined him Saturday. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said a bipartisan majority in the Senate was ready to support legislation that would place additional sanctions on countries that purchased Russian oil and gas, among other commodities. “The Senate stands ready to move in this direction and will do so overwhelmingly if Russia does not embrace an honourable, just and enduring peace,” he said.

In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said he urged “strong support, including from our European allies, for tougher sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.”

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., praised the meeting between Trump and Zelensky, saying that “we need more of this,” while Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., was more direct.

“Putin’s arrogance and murderous acts of cowardice will not be tolerated,” Wilson said. “He started this war and patience is wearing thin. America will not be insulted.”

As recently as Wednesday, Trump’s ire had been primarily trained on Zelensky, who strongly objected to the U.S.-backed peace plan.

“I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday, comparing Zelensky with Putin. “So far, it’s been harder.”

But on Saturday, Trump seemed to be losing patience with Putin. Shortly after issuing his warning to the Russian leader, Trump posted an image that showed him and Zelensky in the Vatican, where they had gathered before Pope Francis’ funeral.

In the image, the two men were hunched over in stackable red chairs, apparently deep in conversation.

Zelensky, who also shared an image of the meeting, wrote on social media that it had been productive and that he hoped it would lead to a “lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.”

“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic,” Zelensky wrote.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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