Trump says patience with Putin 'running out fast'

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Friday warned that his patience with his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin in ending the war in Ukraine is “running out and running out fast.”

“We're going to have to come down very, very strong. It's the only way,” Trump said in a TV interview on broadcaster Fox News, adding that this would involve “hitting very hard with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs.”

Trump said peace efforts have faced reluctance from the leaders of both sides to come to the table.

“It's amazing, when Putin wants to do it, (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy didn’t. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to, and Putin is a question mark,” he said.

He also cited previous measures meant to pressure India from importing Russian oil. "India was their biggest customer. I put a 50% tariff on India because they're buying oil from Russia. That's not an easy thing to do. That's a big deal, and it causes a rift with India."

Trump's remarks came after Poland said Wednesday that its airspace was violated by drones amid overnight airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine, calling the incursion an “act of aggression.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory during the attacks, which it claimed targeted enterprises of Kyiv’s military-industrial complex in western Ukraine.