As Russian President Vladimir Putin takes in a parade in China and as his forces continue to batter Ukrainian cities, US President Donald Trump said he is “very disappointed” in the Kremlin leader and that he plans to do “something” in the coming days about it.
"I'm very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that," Trump told the Scott Jennings radio show on September 2 when asked if he felt betrayed by Putin's actions since their August 15 Alaska summit.
"We had a great relationship, I'm very disappointed."
"Thousands of people are dying. They’re not Americans. They’re Russians and Ukrainians…And it’s a war that makes no sense,” Trump added.
“We’ll be doing something to help people live…Seven thousand people are dying every week -- soldiers, mostly. And if I can help to stop that, I think I have an obligation to do it,” he added, without being specific.
Trump, who has made ending Russia’s war in Ukraine a top priority of his administration, has expressed growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree to a cease-fire or to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At the same time, Russian forces have continued to pound Ukrainian cities, causing civilian deaths and infrastructure damage even as they maintain ground actions against Ukraine’s outgunned and outmanned military.
The attacks continued early on September 3, with authorities reporting another drone attack on the capital, Kyiv, and saying that nationwide air raid alerts had been issued.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said that "air defenses are operating in Kyiv. Stay in shelters until the all-clear is given." Details were not immediately available.
Trump has vowed to impose new tariffs or sanctions against Moscow unless it moves toward peace, although he has held off taking any action up to this point. Washington and Kyiv’s European allies have previously slapped a series of damaging sanctions on Russia following its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A day earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the administration would this week be examining options for a US response to Russia's latest attacks.
Putin "has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated [to Trump] that he wanted to do," Bessent said.
"As a matter of fact, he has, in a despicable, despicable manner, increased the bombing campaign. So, I think with President Trump, all options are on the table, and I think we'll be examining those very closely this week."
The comments come as Putin prepared to attend a military parade in China to mark 80 years since Japan's surrender, which marked the end of World War II. The Kremlin leader said ties with Beijing are now at an "unprecedented level," worrying some leaders in the West.
However, Trump, in his radio interview said, "I'm not concerned at all, no."
"We have the strongest military in the world by far, and they would never use their military on us. Believe me that would be the worst thing they could ever do," he added.
Elsewhere on the diplomatic front, Kyiv's European allies in the so-called Coalition of the Willing -- led by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer -- are set to meet in Paris on September 4 to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine.
"Together with our partners, and in coordination with NATO, we will work to define robust security guarantees for Ukraine. These are a necessary prerequisite to move credibly towards peace," Macron wrote on X following talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy repeated his warnings that Russian forces were gearing up for a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.
"Now we see another buildup of Russian forces in certain sectors of the front. [Putin] refuses to be forced into peace," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, without providing details.
"Russia continues to launch strikes. Of course, we will respond to this," Zelenskyy added following another series of deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv.
Earlier, on August 29, Zelenskyy also warned that a new Russian offensive was imminent.
"The concentration [of Russian troops] there is up to 100,000," Zelenskyy said, referring to the front lines near the highly strategic city Pokrovsk.
