President Trump Has a Tall Mountain to Climb

Leslie Vinjamuri, President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, joins in her new role to discuss the political and economic priorities of the Trump administration, as well as the admin's global intervention in Iran and Ukraine.

President Donald Trump reiterated his displeasure with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and confirmed he’s sending more defensive weapons to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government, sweeping aside an earlier pause by the Pentagon.

“He’s killing too many people so we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine and I’ve approved it,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Earlier in the meeting, he said he was “not happy with Putin” because the Russian leader is “killing a lot of people.”

It was the second time in less than 24 hours that Trump has expressed disapproval of Putin over his refusal to work toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, an idea that Zelenskiy has backed. Trump has turned away from claims he made before taking office that he could end the war in 24 hours.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said it hoped dialogue with the Trump administration would continue despite the criticism and resumption of arms deliveries to Kyiv. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Moscow expects “Trump and his team will continue their efforts to bring the Ukrainian settlement process to the political and diplomatic plane,” according to the Interfax news service.

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump said he’s also looking “very strongly” at a bill introduced in the Senate that would impose severe sanctions on Russia and on countries that purchase its oil, petroleum products, natural gas or uranium. He called it an “optional bill.”

Senator Lindsey Graham said he hoped there would be an announcement by the Senate leadership on the sanctions measure this week. “With the weapons flowing, this bill passing, the Europeans having a sanctions package, I think it’s the best chance to get Putin to the table,” Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters Tuesday. He said the latest bill includes waivers giving Trump more flexibility, increasing the likelihood it would pass both houses of Congress.

“President Trump is good, it has a waiver, he told me it’s time to move so we’re going to move,” Graham added.

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