U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce advised Russia to focus less on President Donald Trump’s social media posts and more on ending its war against Ukraine.
"If the Russians cared about the nature of how [peace efforts are] proceeding, they would be thinking less about [the president’s statements] and more about what they could do – which is in their hands – to stop the carnage and the slaughter that’s happening right now," Bruce said during a May 27 press briefing.
Bruce's comments refer to Trump's recent posts on Truth Social, in which he reacted to Russia's weekend bombardment of Ukraine that killed at least 12 people. Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin "crazy" and warned him that he was "playing with fire."
The Kremlin dismissed the remarks, calling Trump's statements the result of "emotional overload."
Bruce added that Trump's posts were a "clear and completely transparent" statement regarding his opinion of Russia's attacks on Ukraine, and she encouraged Russia to take him seriously.
Over the weekend, Russia launched the largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, firing more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine. On May 26 alone, Russia reportedly launched 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys – the largest drone attack of the war.
Despite Trump's public criticism of Putin, there have been no concrete policy changes with regard to applying more pressure on Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have called for tougher action on Russia and are prepared to pass a a bipartisan, "bone-crushing" sanctions bill that has yet to be endorsed by Trump.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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