U.S. President Donald Trump said at a press briefing on March 7 that he finds it more difficult to deal with Kyiv than with Moscow but admitted that "Russia is bombing the hell out of Ukraine."
Earlier in the day, Trump said that he is considering imposing sweeping banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until there is a ceasefire and peace agreement. He added that "Russia is absolutely 'pounding' Ukraine on the battlefield right now."
When asked during the press briefing why the U.S. wouldn't provide more air defense to Ukraine instead of halting military aid, Trump replied that he has to know "they want to settle."
"If (the Ukrainians) don't want to settle, we're out of there," he said.
"I think he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is doing what anybody else would do. I think he wants to get (the war) ended, but he's hitting them harder than ever, which is what anybody would be doing in his place," Trump added.
The U.S. president also said he wants Russia's full-scale war to end before making any security guarantees to Ukraine. On the contrary, Kyiv insists on security guarantees before reaching a peace deal with Russia.
Trump has long promised to bring about a swift end to Russia's war in Ukraine, though progress towards such a deal was disrupted after he ejected President Volodymyr Zelensky from the White House on Feb. 28 and claimed Ukraine was "not ready for peace."
Following the clash, Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, including intelligence sharing with Kyiv, as part of an effort to pressure Kyiv into quick negotiations with Moscow.
U.S. and Ukrainian delegations are planning to meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 to discuss the framework for a potential peace agreement.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has proposed a "truce in the sky" banning missiles, long-range drones, and bombs targeting civilian infrastructure, as well as a "truce at sea" as the first steps towards the de-escalation.
Trump's March 7 threat to impose sanctions on Moscow and his statement on Russia "pounding" Ukraine comes amid Russian aerial attacks against Ukraine in recent days.
As Russia kept launching drones and missiles at Ukraine, "Trump's rage has been intensifying," Axios reported on March 7, citing an unnamed White House official.
Russia launched another large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine overnight on March 7, launching 67 missiles of various types and 194 drones. Ukraine's air defenses intercepted 34 missiles and 100 drones, the Air Force said.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
