U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 30 that he was "very surprised" at Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities amid ongoing peace negotiations with Kyiv.
"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office.
"All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way," Trump added.
For three consecutive days over May 24-26, Russia launched a series of mass drone and missile attacks at Ukrainian cities, during which more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles were launched in one of the heaviest attacks of the war to date.
On May 26, Russia carried out the largest drone attack of the full-scale war, which reportedly involved 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.
Trump said he disapproved of Russia's recent missile attacks on Ukrainian cities during ongoing diplomatic efforts.
"I don't know what the hell happened to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, I've known him for a long time," Trump said on May 25 amid the onslaught of attacks. "He's killing a lot of people."
Despite the barrage of attacks and Russia's ongoing rejection of a 30-day ceasefire, Trump on May 28 said that "it'll take about two weeks, or week and a half," to determine if Putin serious about ending war.
A day earlier on May 27, Trump admitted that Russia would already be facing serious consequences, including sanctions, if not for his actions.
"What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean really bad. He's playing with fire," he wrote on Truth Social.
Despite repeatedly threatening additional sanctions against Moscow, Trump has thus far refused to implement a proposed sanctions package.
"If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," Trump told reporters on May 28.
Despite the delays, key Trump ally and Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, said at a press briefing in Kyiv on May 30 that the U.S. Senate is expected to "start moving" next week on a bill introducing sweeping new sanctions against Russia
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on May 29 that Trump hopes that the forthcoming peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will "move the ball forward" on his efforts to broker a peace deal.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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