Sources close to the US President say that Mr. Donald Trump seems to be increasingly disappointed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Trump expressed concern that Mr Zelensky's actions could bring the world closer to the risk of nuclear conflict.
According to Trump's advisers, the US president has not only expressed dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin but also with Mr. Zelensky, in which the level of dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian leader is said to be deeper. Despite understanding Ukraine's desire to continue fighting, Trump has a tougher stance on Zelensky than on Putin.
Mr. Trump has emphasized that his personal relationship with the Russian President is quite good and said that this can contribute to reducing tensions. So far, Trump has not proposed additional sanctions against Russia.
In a 75-minute phone call with Mr. Putin on June 4, Mr. Trump was informed about the recent attack by Ukraine on Russian air bases, which are believed to have strategic aircraft. The Russian president said he would react strongly to the incident.
The Kremlin confirmed the phone call and informed about Ukraine's efforts to obstruct peace negotiations, including attacks that Russia called "terrorism" on civilian targets. Some of the incidents mentioned were rail sabotage in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, causing many casualties.
Zelensky later posted on Telegram stating that if the international community reacted weakly to Mr. Putin's threats, it would mean accepting the actions of the Russian President, and those with the power to do so without stopping Mr. Putin would be held jointly responsible.
Previously, during a meeting at the White House in late February, Mr. Trump publicly criticized Mr. Zelensky, accusing him of taking actions that could escalate global tensions and not appreciating enough support from the US.
