Donald Trump, who promised to end the Ukraine war on day one of his second presidency, is apparently still getting nowhere with Vladimir Putin five months in.
The U.S. president spoke with his Russian counterpart for about an hour on Thursday morning, according to The New York Times, and discussed, among other issues, ending the war in Ukraine.
“We had a call, it was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran,” Trump told reporters. “And we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine.”
“I’m not happy about that,” he added. “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
It was the sixth known time the leaders have spoken since Trump took office in January.
Trump’s efforts to bring about a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire have largely stalled. On the campaign trail last year, he repeatedly pledged to end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to the White House, or “before I even become president.” After taking office, he claimed he was being sarcastic.
His long-held admiration for the Russian autocrat wavered in May after Moscow launched a major airstrike in Ukraine, marking a humiliation for Trump’s ongoing attempts to broker peace between the long-warring nations.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
A Kremlin spokesperson on Thursday said Trump had broached bringing a quick end to the hostilities, but Moscow “will not back down” from its objectives in Ukraine.
The conversation was “frank, businesslike, and specific,” Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said, adding that “the presidents, naturally, will continue their communication in the near future.”
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