US president Donald Trump speaks with reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington.

Donald Trump has been ridiculed online after he implored the Russian president to stop the attacks on Ukraine.

The US president surprised followers by issuing a rare statement of criticism against Vladimir Putin on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, after Russia’s latest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital.

He wrote: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in Russia’s deadliest strike on Kyiv since last summer, according to the United Nations.

Trump’s post was unexpected, especially since the president told reporters hours before that “we have a deal with Russia” to end the war and given his ongoing criticisms of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war by not formally ceding the occupied peninsula of Crimea to Putin.

While Trump claimed the Ukrainian president’s words were “inflammatory”, he described Putin’s deliberate attack on Ukraine just as “very bad........

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