Last Updated:
This comes as Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate following a major Ukrainian drone attack on airbases inside Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are pictured before a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. (Image: AFP/File)
The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin informed US President Donald Trump of Moscow’s plans to carry out retaliatory strikes against Ukraine during a recent phone conversation between the two leaders.
This comes as Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate following a major Ukrainian drone attack on airbases inside Russia. Speaking after a phone call with Putin, Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social, “President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.”
Donald Trump warned that the phone call, which lasted more than an hour, would not “lead to immediate peace” between Russia and Ukraine.
The phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin marked the first direct communication between the two leaders since Ukraine launched a surprise drone strike on Russian airbases on June 1, targeting what Kyiv claimed were nuclear-capable long-range bombers.
According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, Donald Trump told Vladimir Putin during the call that the United States had not been informed in advance of the Ukrainian attack. The strike, carried out using smuggled drones, is seen as one of Ukraine’s most daring operations deep inside Russian territory.
In response, Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industries Yuriy Sak said that Kyiv had hoped for a stronger reaction from Washington. “We were expecting more sanctions and more pressure from the US in response to the incessant Russian missile and drone attacks on our cities,” he said, as per BBC.
Donald Trump’s Ultimatum To Russia
Last week, Donald Trump appeared to issue a veiled ultimatum, suggesting he would reconsider how the US engages with the conflict if he believed Vladimir Putin was dragging out peace efforts. “He’s tapping me along,” the US President said at the time, hinting at a two-week timeline for Russia to show progress toward ending the war.
That comment followed an earlier statement on May 26 in which Donald Trump sharply criticized Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader had gone “absolutely crazy” and was “playing with fire” after a surge in deadly missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to X to express frustration over continued international dialogue with Moscow, writing, “Many have spoken with Russia at various levels. But none of these talks have brought a reliable peace, or even stopped the war. If the world reacts weakly to Putin’s threats, he interprets it as a readiness to turn a blind eye to his actions.”
When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, “What is the purpose of journalism in society?”
When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, “What is the purpose of journalism in society?”
- First Published:
