[Source/Observer Network by Liu Chenghui] The ongoing artillery fire between Russia and Ukraine is making the former US President Trump, who boasted of "ending the conflict in a day," increasingly anxious.

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 26 that people close to Trump revealed that he is considering additional sanctions against Russia due to his dissatisfaction with Russia's continued strikes on Ukraine and the slow progress of peace talks.

Meanwhile, Trump unleashed a barrage of criticism on Putin's air strike actions on the "Truth Social" platform, muttering that "Putin is completely insane", "He wants all of Ukraine", and "This will have bad consequences!"

One of the sources told the Wall Street Journal that the new sanctions being considered by the U.S. may not include new banking restrictions, but other pressure options are under discussion with the aim of forcing Russia to make concessions at the negotiating table. However, Trump may also decide not to impose new sanctions.

According to the source, Trump is also tired of peace negotiations and is considering abandoning negotiations altogether if the final push fails.

White House Press Secretary Karweit said in a statement to American media, "President Trump has clearly expressed his desire to see a peace agreement reached through negotiations. He has wisely kept all options open."

On May 25, Trump was interviewed by the media before boarding Air Force One to leave Morristown, New Jersey. Reuters

In New Jersey on the 25th, when asked about the possibility of new sanctions, Trump told the media that he was "absolutely" considering it. Speaking of Putin, Trump said, "He is killing many people. I don't know what's wrong with him."

Reporters noticed that Trump's tone toward Putin that day was "particularly tough."

"I've known him for a long time and we've always got along well, but he's launching rockets at cities and killing people, which I don't like at all," Trump said. "We're in negotiations, but he's launching rockets at Kyiv and other cities, which I totally disagree with."

"Judging from these remarks, President Trump seems to be realizing Putin," said William Taylor, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. "The question is, is this serious? Is this enough to make him take some measures and impose some sanctions?"

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina and an ally of Trump, fueled the fire by telling Trump that Putin does not want an agreement and only punishment can make him take negotiations seriously.

The report described that for a politician who once used "ending the conflict on the first day of taking office" as a campaign pitch, this is a significant shift. It remains unclear what will happen if the U.S. withdraws from the negotiation process and whether Trump will continue to provide military support to Ukraine.

These dynamics also mark a deterioration in U.S.-Russia relations. Over the past few months, the relationship between the two countries has also experienced ups and downs. When Trump took office, he believed that凭借his supposedly strong personal relationship with Putin, he had a unique advantage to improve bilateral relations, and Putin would end the conflict out of personal favoritism.

However, Trump failed to prompt Russia to make major concessions for peace talks, and Russian forces recently intensified their strikes against Ukraine.

A few hours after Trump made the above remarks, Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that Russia launched more than 350 explosive-laden drones and at least nine cruise missiles. Russia stated that this attack was in response to explosions caused by Ukraine within Russia's territory.

Afterward, Trump began shouting again: "Putin is completely insane!"

"He (Putin) is having problems, completely insane!" Trump was quite "emotional" on the "Truth Social" platform, "I've always said he wants all of Ukraine, not just part of it, and maybe this is being proven, but if he does so, it will lead to bad consequences!"

Trump also criticized Zelenskyy, accusing him of "not saying anything beneficial to the country. Every word he says creates problems, and I don't like it, so stop."

When asked about Trump's remarks, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, thanked the U.S. and Trump for assisting in peace talks while implying that Trump and others might be overreacting.

"This is a very critical moment, and these comments are certainly related to everyone's emotional overload and emotional reactions," Peskov said.

In his late-night video address on the 25th, Zelenskyy did not directly respond to Trump's criticism. He only targeted Russia, calling Russia's actions a reflection of Putin's "political choice," proving that the Kremlin has no intention of ending the conflict.

"This is militarily meaningless, but it is a clear political choice—the choice of Putin, the choice of Russia—they choose to continue the conflict."

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Visual China

Zelenskyy also accused Russia of firing more than 900 drones and missiles in three nights, indicating that Russia is "playing with diplomacy." He said he hopes the West will "fully pressure" Russia to limit its military capabilities.

"RT" website reported on the 25th that during Putin's visit to Kursk region earlier last week, the president's helicopter became the "center" of a large-scale drone attack by Ukraine. Russian data showed that during Putin's stay in the Kursk region, Ukraine launched an "unprecedented" drone attack on the area, and the Russian anti-aircraft defense destroyed 46 incoming fixed-wing drones.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that from May 20 to May 23, Russian forces intercepted 764 drones in Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the scale of attacks has not yet subsided, and hundreds of drones were destroyed on May 24 and May 25.

It is worth noting that on May 10, The Wall Street Journal published an article revealing that Trump privately admitted feeling "frustrated" about the inability to quickly end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He confided to a group of top donors in Florida that his frustration over efforts to end the conflict was growing daily and even keeping him awake at night.

According to attendees, Trump said that Russian President Putin was particularly difficult to negotiate with, and he complained that both sides were unwilling to compromise. Russia wanted to "annex all of Ukraine."

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations held their first direct talks in more than three years in Istanbul on the 16th. Both sides reached a consensus on the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war and were "principally" willing to continue contacts and negotiations.

On the 19th, Putin held a telephone conversation with Trump in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi, where they agreed that Russia would propose and prepare a memorandum for future possible peace agreements.

Peskov told reporters on the 26th that the draft memorandum for the peace agreement is still being formulated. This is a serious document that requires careful preparation.

He also said that the exchange of captured personnel between Russia and Ukraine will continue, implementing the agreements reached in Istanbul. In addition, Russia expressed gratitude to Turkey for its preparatory work for the Istanbul talks, but it is too early to discuss where the next round of Russia-Ukraine talks will be held.

This article is an exclusive contribution by Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508920271777071667/

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