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The Big Story

Trump escalates war of words on Putin

President Trump and Russian officials are engaged in a war of words, a sign of escalating tensions between the two powers.

The tit-for-tat comes as Trump grows increasingly frustrated over the lack of progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump has posted in recent days on social media that Russian President Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely CRAZY” and warned he was “playing with fire” with continued strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Moscow, meanwhile, has issued coy responses to Trump as it carries out deadly strikes against Kyiv, cautioning the U.S. president against “emotional overload” and warning that the only bad outcome would be “WWIII.”

Lawmakers from both parties have used the shift in tone to urge Trump to take a tougher stance through sanctions on Russia, while experts argue it is still unclear whether the president will match his stronger rhetoric with action.

“We’re going to find out whether he’s tapping us along or not. And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently. But it will take about a week and a half, two weeks,” Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked if he thought Putin wanted to end the war.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border for weeks. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict have been killed in more than three years since.

Trump campaigned in 2024 on a pledge that he would end the war in Ukraine before even taking the oath of office. But he has found it more difficult than expected to strike a peace deal, and he has lashed out in recent months at both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump aides have met separately with officials from both Russia and Ukraine, and Russian and Ukrainian officials spoke directly earlier this month for the first time since the war began. While Ukrainian leaders have said they would back a 30-day ceasefire, Russia has not shown a serious interest in any kind of pause in fighting.

In recent days, Trump’s ire has been directed mostly at Putin. Trump has in the past drawn intense scrutiny from Democrats for his friendly approach to the Russian leader and his desire for good relations with Moscow.

But Trump’s patience appeared to be wearing thin as Putin launched a barrage of strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent days while the U.S. pushed for a detente.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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