Hours after meeting Zelenskyy, Trump questions Putin over civilian deaths, warns of sanctions | World News

United States President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for targeting civilians in Ukraine and floated the possibility of fresh sanctions, just a day after saying Moscow and Kyiv were “very close” to a peace deal. Trump’s comments came hours after the US commander-in-chief and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Rome before the funeral of Pope Francis, which the White House described as “very productive”.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.
“He’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” he added.

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The Rome meeting, which took place ahead of the funeral services of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica, lasted about 15 minutes and marked the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since a frosty Oval Office meeting in February. At that earlier meeting, Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance had berated Zelenskyy, accusing him of showing ingratitude for American aid and “gambling with World War Three”.
The White House described Saturday’s meeting as “very productive,” while Zelenskyy said on X that the discussion with Trump was very symbolic and had the “potential to become horic, if we achieve joint results.”
The talks come at a delicate moment, as Washington intensifies efforts to end fighting between Ukraine and Russia, which has raged since Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
On Friday, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours to discuss Washington’s peace proposal. Trump later said that “most of the major points are agreed to,” without elaborating, and urged a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow’s leadership to finalise a ceasefire deal, which he said was “very close.”Story continues below this ad
Despite the optimism, major hurdles remain. According to documents obtained Reuters, differences pers between Washington’s peace proposals and the positions of Kyiv and its European allies, particularly regarding legal recognition of Crimea as Russian territory—a red line for Ukraine.