Trump Criticizes Putin Amid Ukraine Conflict Escalation

John Bolton believes he knows what motivated President Donald Trump to speak out against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he shared his thoughts in an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, discussing Trump's reaction to Putin's recent actions in the Ukraine war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected President Donald Trump's proposal to hold the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the Vatican, an idea floated by Trump after Pope Leo XIV suggested it. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg confirmed that Russia declined the Vatican venue, suggesting Geneva as an alternative. The Kremlin responded to Trump's comments on Putin, calling them "emotional" and attributing them to "emotional overload." Trump had criticized Putin for launching a large-scale drone strike on Ukraine, calling him "crazy" and warning him that taking all of Ukraine would lead to Russia's downfall. Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his comments were causing problems and needed to stop.

US President Donald Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is "playing with fire" and that "lots of really bad things" could happen to Russia if it weren't for him. Trump had previously criticized Putin, saying he has "gone absolutely crazy" and is "needlessly killing a lot of people" in Ukraine. Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev, responded to Trump's statements, with Medvedev warning that the "REALLY BAD thing" Trump may be referring to is WWIII. Trump's comments come as the US weighs sanctions against Russia and amid ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.