Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine is “killing a lot of people” on both sides. “I’m not happy with him, I can tell you that much right now. This is killing a lot of people,” Trump said of Putin during a meeting with his Cabinet. The president also acknowledged that his previous suggestions that he might be able to cajole Russia’s president into bringing the fighting to a close and quickly ending the war in Ukraine has “turned out to be tougher”. It was notable for a president who has all but aligned himself with Putin at moments in the past and has praised the Russian leader effusively at times - though less so in recent months.

The Cabinet meeting comments came a day after Trump said the United States will now send more weapons to Ukraine — dramatically reversing a previous announcement of a pause in critical, previously approved firepower deliveries to Kyiv in the midst of concerns that America’s own military stockpiles have declined too much. “We wanted (to) put defensive weapons (in). Putin is not, he’s not treating human beings right,” Trump said during the Cabinet meeting, explaining the pause’s reversal. “It’s killing too many people. So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine and I’ve approved that.” (Jamaica Gleaner)