President Donald Trump‘s pledge to end the war in Ukraine through swift negotiations has shaped the GOP’s foreign policy since his return to office in January. But now, the president appears to be losing patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks in years—killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more—Trump turned sharply on Putin, saying he’s “not happy with what Putin is doing,” and accusing him of “killing a lot of people.”
“I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” he said on Sunday.
Putin’s actions have tested not just Trump’s resolve, but that of his supporters. The “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement is now divided over how to respond. Some are calling for harsher steps—including sanctions on Moscow and increased military aid to Ukraine—while others say Trump is being misled or not fully informed. The one point of agreement—criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who remains a frequent target across the right.
Why It Matters
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the two nations have remained locked in war ever since.
Trump said he would end the war within 24 hours of returning to office, but months later, negotiations remain at an impasse. On Sunday, Trump suggested Putin might not actually want to end the war and could be “tapping me along.”
He also criticized Zelensky, saying he’s “doing his country no favors talking the way he does” and that “everything out of his mouth causes problems.”
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What To Know
Top Republicans broke ranks this week, urging Trump to escalate pressure on Putin after a wave of deadly Russian strikes in Kyiv.
“I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl,” Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. “Pres Trump take action—AT LEAST SANCTIONS.”
“It is a time for honesty,” Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska wrote on X. “Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin. His goal is to dominate Ukraine & he won’t stop until he realizes he cannot win. The U.S. & Allies must arm Ukraine to the teeth, sanction Russia to the max, & confiscate the $300B in overseas Russian assets.”
Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich praised Trump’s tone, but demanded more.
“President Trump is right to be publicly exasperated with Putin,” he wrote on X on Monday. “Putin’s deliberate use of violence against civilian targets for three straight days requires a response. American military aid to Ukraine should be dramatically increased in quantity, quality, and freedom to use it anywhere—including in Russia.”
He added: “Putin will only stop if he has no choice. Any other strategy is wishful thinking, which will extend the war and cost more innocent lives.”
Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Not everyone on the right agreed.
“If you’re a Russian and listened to Trump prior to the election, you would have assumed when he took office that he would have withdrawn all support for Ukraine,” retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a frequent Trump ally, wrote on X on Monday morning. “Through some bad advice, he did the opposite.”
A chorus of MAGA-aligned commentators expressed a mix of concern and confusion.
“The leader of Ukraine has been doing everything the White House wanted him to do… Meanwhile, Putin is doing none of it,” conservative commentator Ben Shapiro recently said on his podcast.
He added: “Putin is not interested in serious negotiations. He is waiting everybody out. That’s all.”
“There’s no excuse for President Trump not knowing that Ukraine tried to shoot down Putin’s helicopter last week,” @HerrenPhillis, a popular MAGA account on X, wrote Monday. “President Trump’s advisors need to get their heads out of their collective asses.”
The post referred to a recent report claiming that Ukrainian forces launched a drone strike targeting Putin’s helicopter during a visit to a Russian region near the front lines. When asked about the alleged attempt, Trump said on Sunday that he hadn’t heard about it and speculated that the incident “maybe” explained Putin’s recent escalations.
Zelensky Remains a Common Target
MAGA X account @DC_Draino cast doubt on the timing of the attacks, suggesting a conspiracy to benefit Zelensky.
“There sure seems to be an escalation of violence in the Ukraine War just as peace talks were making strong progress. It’s almost as if the NATO war machine won’t let this war stop,” @DC_Draino wrote on Sunday.
Yet others framed Trump’s new tone against Putin as strength.
“President Trump stuns the world by putting Vladimir Putin on notice ‘He is needlessly k*lling a lot of people,'” X account @MAGAVoice, who has over 1 million followers on the social media platform, wrote on Sunday evening. “PEACE through STRENGTH.”
“President Trump’s direct stance against Putin shows the power of real leadership,” wrote commentator Noah Christopher on X on Monday. “Strength is the foundation of peace, and Trump delivers it with clarity and resolve.”
Still, Zelensky remained a common target.
“What about all the innocent people Zelensky has killed? That’s okay? Why is that, Chuck?” @jsherman376 also known as MAGAGeorgia, wrote on X on Monday in response to Grassley’s post.
Trump, himself, offered no praise.
“Everything out of [Zelensky’s] mouth causes problems,” he posted on Truth Social on Sunday. “I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a war that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s war—not ‘Trump’s.’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires.”
The Kremlin dismissed Trump’s criticism as “emotional overstrain.”
SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Sunday: “We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Monday: “Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale. There is no real military logic to this, but there is significant political meaning. In doing this, Putin shows just how much he despises the world—the world that spends more effort on ‘dialogue’ with him than on real pressure.”
He added: “Like any criminal, Russia can only be constrained by force. Only through strength—the strength of the United States, of Europe, of all nations that value life—can these attacks be stopped and real peace achieved. The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions. Russia’s disregard for diplomacy and refusal even to consider a ceasefire must be met with a freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade.”
What Happens Next?
The European Union‘s (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU plans to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations, describing Russia’s latest attacks as “totally appalling.” Trump, meanwhile, has also threatened severe sanctions on Moscow, but so far, hasn’t taken any action.