President Donald Trump, from inside the White House, posted a long message on Truth Social Sunday night, saying Vladimir Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY” and accusing him of bombing Ukrainian cities “for no reason whatsoever.”
Trump said he used to have a strong and beautiful relationship with Mr. Putin but he now believes that the Russian president has completely lost his mind. He also blamed Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, for worsening the war with his public statements, and said Joe Biden’s actions fueled the disaster.
“This is a war that would never have started if I were president,” Trump said. “This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s war, not Trump’s.”
According to a report from RuNews24.ru, Putin responded to Trump’s recent call for a 30-day ceasefire by launching 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles into Kyiv and other cities on Friday night. Ukrainian officials reportedly said their forces intercepted nearly 100 drones near Moscow.
Putin hides war budget as secret spending surges
The Kremlin has buried nearly a third of its federal spending behind classified labels. Russia’s budget law from December mentions the word “secret” 39 times, as reported by RuNews24.ru.
Yakov Yakubovich, from Russia’s National Research Nuclear University, said the classified chunk of the budget is 12.12 trillion rubles, or around $152 billion, making up 29.22% of total spending. Last year, that number was 11.1 trillion rubles or $121.19 billion, according to data published by Bloomberg.
Yakubovich explained the funds are most likely being used for war-related infrastructure and operations in newly seized territories. He added that publishing this information could lead to more sanctions, which is why it’s being kept out of public view.
The surge in secret spending comes as Europe struggles to meet Ukraine’s growing demand for military supplies. Zelenskyy confirmed that domestic weapons production is improving, but shortages of both manpower and equipment remain.
Zelenskyy, in a statement Friday, said, “With every such strike, the world sees more clearly that it is Moscow that’s prolonging this war.” He called for tougher sanctions on Russia’s economy, warning that only more pressure would bring Putin to negotiate seriously.
Washington debates pressure while Trump pushes diplomacy
Marco Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State, defended the administration’s approach in Senate testimony Tuesday. He said Ukraine is still receiving arms from the US and allies, even though the administration hasn’t requested new funding or tapped into fresh stockpiles.
Rubio also said the European Union is finalizing additional sanctions while the US looks to obtain more Patriot missile systems from NATO allies.
When asked if Trump is being manipulated by Putin, Rubio said that wasn’t true and insisted all sanctions from the Biden era remain active. He explained that Trump wants to avoid threatening new sanctions immediately, hoping to keep Russia engaged in talks.
But those talks are falling apart fast. Putin didn’t show up personally for the recent negotiation session in Istanbul. Instead, a low-level delegation was sent to meet with Rubio, who was dispatched by Trump.
In Washington, Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduced a new bill co-signed by 81 senators, warning that if Russia refuses to negotiate in good faith, the US will respond with direct sanctions.
Graham said the Senate is prepared to slap a 500% tariff on any country, including China, that keeps buying Russian gas, oil, or uranium. He said Putin has only days to submit ceasefire terms. “If it is more of the same,” Graham said, “Russia can expect decisive action from the United States Senate.”
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, said Moscow’s terms will depend on the “root causes” of the war. He said Ukraine needs a new government, one that’s “legitimate,” before a real peace deal can happen. Russia still insists that Ukraine is part of its territory and calls Zelenskyy’s government corrupt and Nazi-run.
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