The American president said he's "not happy" with his Russian counterpart, but he's said this before — and the rhetoric usually amounts to nothing.
If it seems like you’ve seen the same headline — “Maybe this time, Trump will follow through on his rhetoric and get tough with Putin†— over and over again, it’s not your imagination.
Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football keep coming to mind. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-27T13:01:34.105Z
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/putins-russia-brutally-hammers-ukraine-trump-confronts-put-shut-test-rcna209162
With this in mind, Trump expressed a degree of predictable dissatisfaction with Russia’s latest offensive. The New York Times reported:
President Trump on Sunday condemned the decision by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to unleash one of the largest offensives in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and said he was considering imposing more sanctions on Russia in response. Speaking to reporters in New Jersey before boarding Air Force One, Mr. Trump said he was “not happy” with Mr. Putin escalating his attacks, especially as the two countries negotiate a cease-fire deal to bring the three-year war to an end.
In comments to reporters, the Republican said,
“He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lpzoyhsghh2t
......All of which brings the “watch what he does, not what he says” adage to mind.
To be sure, perhaps this time will be different. Perhaps Trump is getting tired of looking foolish. Perhaps the White House will, any minute now, announce new economic penalties on Moscow, new security aid for Ukraine, or both. Perhaps Putin pushed his luck once too many times, and it's finally jolted the American president who has been far too eager to align his administration with the Kremlin.
But this would be a dramatic shift from Trump’s record and recent history.
As a New York Times analysis summarized over the Memorial Day weekend, the White House has effectively created “a strategic void in which Mr. Trump complains about Russia’s continued killing but so far has been unwilling to make Mr. Putin pay even a modest price.”
Much of the world has waited for Trump to adopt a stronger and more effective posture. Will he ever overcome his affection for the Russian leader and try following through on his rhetoric for a change? Watch this space
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