U.S. President Donald Trump said he disapproves of Russia’s ongoing bombardments in Ukraine.
“I’m not happy about what’s going on with the bombing because they’re bombing like crazy right now,” Trump told reporters following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They’re bombing — I don’t know what’s happening there. That’s not a good situation.”
Trump said the United States is holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine and is “getting sort of close.”
When asked why the sweeping tariffs his administration has imposed on most major trading partners do not apply to Russia, Trump responded that the United States is “not doing business, essentially, with Russia, because they’re at war.”
At the end of March, Trump said he was “very angry” after Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy and proposed establishing a temporary administration in Ukraine. Trump then threatened to impose secondary tariffs of 25 percent on Russian oil exports if a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine failed due to Moscow.
On April 4, following that warning, Russian forces launched a strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least 19 people, including nine children. Near-nightly drone attacks have also continued.