U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming his prolonged war on Ukraine is “destroying Russia.” Speaking to reporters on the first day of his second term, Trump urged Putin to pursue a peace agreement. Trump also reasserted his claim on his second day in office while speaking to the media when he presented a $500 billion AI project, StarGate.
“[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy told me he wants to make a deal. I don’t know if Putin does… He might not. I think he should make a deal,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “I think Russia is in big trouble. You take a look at their economy, you take a look at their inflation. I got along with [Putin] great, but I would hope he wants to make a deal.”
Trump suggested Putin is struggling with the slow progress of the war, now entering its third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and nearly 11 years after the annexation of Crimea. “Most people thought it would last about one week, and now you’re into three years. It is not making him look good,” he said.
Journalists pressed Trump on his campaign promise to end the war on his first day in office. “I have another half of the day left,” he joked, but added, “I want to get it wrapped up soon.”
Trump claimed the war has resulted in nearly a million Russian soldiers killed and approximately 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead, adding, “Russia’s bigger—they have more soldiers to lose—but that’s no way to run a country.”
Ukraine has disputed Trump’s figures, stating it has lost over 43,000 soldiers, with more than 370,000 wounded. The Kremlin has not disclosed official casualty figures, but Ukrainian estimates suggest Russia lost 150,000 soldiers killed and over 400,000 wounded in 2024 alone.
