RFE
05 Jul 2025, 13:58 GMT+10
US President Donald Trump has said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin understands that more sanctions may be coming, as Moscow continues to reject Washingtons push for a cease-fire in Ukraine.
Speaking on Air Force One on July 4, Trump said: You know, we talk about sanctions a lot and he understands that it may be coming.
Trumps remarks elaborated on his earlier comment that he was disappointed by his phone call withPutinon July 3.
"He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," he said, adding that he was very unhappy with the Kremlin leader.
Hours earlier, Trump had a phone call with VolodymyrZelenskyythat the Ukrainian President described as a "very important and useful conversation."
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the United States to impose greater sanctions on Russia to force Moscow to the negotiating table.
Since taking the office, Trump has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia. His administration has also relaxed enforcement, experts say. Trump has countered that imposing sanctions on Russia would hurt peace negotiations.
Trump also confirmed that he and Zelenskyy had spoken about air defense, a key issue in Ukraine as Russia has massively stepped up itsaerial bombardmentof Kyiv and other cities this year.
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Analysis: Amid Stalled Talks, Russia Has Massively Increased Air Attacks On Ukraine
The two men spoke following a huge drone and missile assault that Kyiv said was the largest of the war so far. Their conversation also followed a recent US decision to halt someweapons suppliesto Ukraine, which include Patriot air defense missiles according to US media reports.
The Patriot missile system is absolutely valuable, and to take that away is a huge problem for Ukraine, US-based analystKervin Aucointold RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service.
The removal of this aid by the United States to Ukraine, it has emboldened the Russians, it is emboldening Vladimir Putin to attack more areas within Ukraine, added Aucoin, who was formerly an intelligence analyst in the US military.
Zelenskyy indicated that he had raised this with Trump.
"We discussed the possibilities of air defense and agreed that we will work on increasing the protection of the sky."
He added that they had agreed a corresponding meeting of our teams."
Also on July 4, Trump discussed Patriot missiles in a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of a series of conversations he had with Western leaders on US Independence Day.
Berlin has raised the possibility that it would buy Patriots from Washington and then provide them to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, there were reports of fatalities as fighting continued in various regions of Ukraine.
Emergency services extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on July 5.
Three people were killed and 30 injured over 24 hours as a result of Russian strikes on Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, according to data from regional military administrations.
Among the injured were a 10-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.
"Civil infrastructure facilities were damaged and destroyed: in the Kupyansky district, two apartment buildings, a school, two private houses, a shop were damaged; in the Chuguyiv district, a dormitory, a service station, 10 cars, postal infrastructure, and an inoperative building were damaged," an official statement said.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that overnight Russia had launched 322 drones at Ukraine.
In Russia, officials in Voronezh and Saratov regions reported Ukrainian drone strikes. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that 94 Ukrainian drones were allegedly shot down overnight in multiple regions.
There were no reports of casualties.
Ukraine said its special forces had attacked Borisoglebsk air field in Russias Voronezh region.
"A warehouse with guided bombs, a combat training aircraft, and probably other aircraft were hit. The results of the hit are being clarified," the Ukrainian General Staff said. It added that the attack was aimed at reducing Russias ability to bomb Ukraine.
Battlefield claims by both sides could not be verified.
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