President Donald Trump’s remarks about Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have shifted repeatedly since taking office in January, reflecting an uneven approach to the war he has long claimed he could end within “24 hours.”
Over the past 10 months, Trump has alternated between admiration and criticism of both leaders, pausing military aid to Ukraine at key moments, promising new weapons, and later pushing a peace plan that many U.S. allies fear favors Moscow.
On January 31, Trump said the conflict would never have started had he been president earlier and claimed his administration had already held serious discussions with Russia. On February 19, he attacked Zelenskyy online as “a Dictator without Elections,” prompting pushback from U.S. lawmakers. Zelenskyy accused Trump of echoing Russian disinformation, while Vice President JD Vance warned the Ukrainian leader against publicly challenging the president.
Tensions escalated on February 28 during a heated Oval Office meeting where Trump and Vance accused Zelenskyy of lacking gratitude and warned that continued escalation risked a wider war. Trump cancelled the remainder of Zelenskyy’s visit and briefly froze military assistance to pressure Kyiv into negotiations.
By March 30, Trump was signaling trust in Putin, saying he believed the Russian president would keep his word. But on April 24, after a series of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, Trump urged Moscow to “STOP!” in one of his rare direct criticisms of Putin.
Five days later, on April 29, he expressed sympathy for Ukrainians suffering casualties, a shift that came shortly after meeting Zelenskyy at Pope Francis’ funeral. On May 25, Trump said Putin had gone “absolutely CRAZY,” reacting to Russia’s intensified attacks.
Following a meeting with Zelenskyy at a NATO gathering, Trump said on June 25 that the Ukrainian leader was “very nice,” suggesting possible Patriot missile support. On July 8, he said Putin often “talks beautifully” but breaks promises, while announcing new weapons for Ukraine after earlier suspending deliveries.
Trump’s tone hardened again on July 13 and 14 when he expressed disappointment with Russia’s continued airstrikes and suggested imposing “secondary tariffs” on countries conducting trade with Moscow. On August 15, he met Putin in Alaska for highly publicized talks that ended without a deal. Critics said the meeting gave the Kremlin legitimacy without extracting meaningful concessions.
On September 23, Trump said Russia’s war performance made the country look like “a paper tiger,” adding that Ukraine could ultimately reclaim all occupied territory. On October 17, after hosting Zelenskyy again, he proposed freezing the conflict along existing front lines and signaled that Moscow might retain seized areas. He also informed Zelenskyy that Ukraine would not receive long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Five days later, on October 22, he said sanctions might encourage Putin to show “reasonableness” but added that Zelenskyy must also be “reasonable.” On November 21 and 22, Trump pressed the Ukrainian leader to accept a U.S. peace proposal requiring territorial concessions, major reductions in Ukrainian forces and a permanent pledge not to join NATO. He set a November 27 deadline but indicated it could be extended. Senators later said Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the plan as a Russian “wish list,” though Rubio and the State Department denied that characterization.
On November 23, Trump accused Kyiv of showing “zero gratitude” and criticized European countries for continuing to buy Russian oil. He repeated his long-standing claim that the war would “have NEVER HAPPENED” had he been president earlier.
Throughout the year, Trump’s fluctuating tone has underscored the unpredictable nature of Washington’s approach to the conflict as officials struggle to balance pressure for negotiations with support for Ukraine’s defense.