President Donald Trump said Friday he was "sort of" running out of patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin "fast," after the Kremlin said negotiations with Ukraine were "on pause," comments that come amid heightened NATO concern following a cross-border drone incursion into Poland.
Trump made the remarks in an interview on Fox & Friends, saying he had expected ending the nearly three-year conflict to be among the "easiest" international problems to resolve when he re-entered the White House. "But it does take two to tango," Trump said, adding that when one leader sought talks the other did not. He said the United States would have to "come down very, very strong," including hitting Russia with sanctions on banks, oil and tariffs, while noting he had already taken steps such as imposing tariffs on India and threatening tariffs on China.
The Kremlin’s pause in talks follows an earlier invitation from Putin for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow, a move that Western and Ukrainian officials warned was risky and not necessarily a signal of good-faith negotiation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "communication channels exist" and negotiators could use them, but suggested discussions were temporarily suspended.
Tensions spiked this week when nearly two dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace during strikes on Ukraine, prompting a multi-nation NATO response and raising alarm among allies. Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, wrote on the social platform X that while he wished the incursion had been a mistake, "it wasn't. And we know it." NATO officials said allies were on high alert following the incident.
Russian forces also began war games in Belarus this week, a development officials said was notable because some of the drones that violated Polish airspace were reported to have originated from Belarusian territory where Russian troops have been massing. The exercises and the cross-border drone activity have complicated diplomatic efforts to restart substantive negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump acknowledged ambiguity about who has been willing to meet: "It's amazing when Putin wants to do it, Zelenskyy didn't. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to and Putin is the question mark." He said stronger punitive measures could be required if Moscow does not engage constructively.
While the administration has taken trade actions that affect imports from India and has threatened tariffs on China, Trump has not imposed new, direct sanctions on Russia since returning to the presidency, a stance that has drawn criticism from some allies and observers who expected swifter punitive measures following the invasion. Critics point to the eight months since Trump took office as a period in which Washington has not added fresh Russia-targeted sanctions despite ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.
Less than a month ago, Trump met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in a meeting described by some participants as productive. The subsequent pause in negotiations and the recent escalation of drone activity into NATO airspace have renewed questions among allies about Moscow’s intentions and about how firmly the United States and its partners will respond.
NATO leaders discussed the security implications of the cross-border strikes at recent summit meetings, and alliance officials have continued diplomatic and military consultations aimed at deterring further incidents. Poland and other NATO members have urged sustained allied vigilance.
As of Friday, both Washington and NATO partners have emphasized the need to monitor developments closely. Kremlin statements indicating a pause in talks left open the possibility of resumption, but allied officials and Ukrainian leaders said that tangible steps toward a ceasefire or meaningful negotiations had yet to materialize.
