Despite recent criticism of Moscow, US President Donald Trump reportedly continues to view Russian President Vladimir Putin as his key partner in negotiating peace, while seeing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as a major barrier to ending the conflict, according to sources cited by the Financial Times on Saturday.
During a press conference earlier this week, Trump expressed frustration with Putin, claiming the Russian leader had no genuine interest in stopping the war. “We deal with a lot of nonsense from Putin,” Trump said, adding that although Putin “is always polite,” his friendliness has not led to results.
Trump also teased a forthcoming announcement concerning Russia, amid discussions in Washington about potentially levying a 500% tariff on nations that continue to import Russian goods, including energy.
Nonetheless, two senior officials familiar with national security discussions indicated to the FT that there is little evidence of a policy shift in Washington’s position regarding Ukraine. According to them, the administration still treats Putin as the principal figure in achieving a peace deal, whereas Zelensky is seen as an impediment.
“There’s a bit too much excitement over a change in tone,” one source noted, warning that it hasn’t translated into any concrete policy changes.
The Financial Times report aligns with earlier coverage by the New York Times, which stated in June that Trump is growing weary of both Putin and Zelensky, but has an especially critical view of the Ukrainian leader, blaming him for escalating global tensions.
Back in May, Trump publicly accused Zelensky of causing instability, stating that “everything he says just stirs up more trouble.” Their most heated exchange reportedly occurred in February, when Trump chastised Zelensky during a White House meeting for lacking gratitude and accused him of “risking World War III.”
Asked to comment on Trump’s recent comments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded that Moscow is taking a calm approach, and remains open to discussions with the United States to mend the heavily strained bilateral ties.
Russia continues to insist that any peace deal must address its national security concerns, including Ukraine’s neutrality, recognition of current territorial realities, and steps toward demilitarization and “denazification.”
