The former US president, visibly frustrated, warned that Putin might be “tapping us along” while continuing Moscow’s aggressive military campaign against Kyiv.

According to The Sun, Trump’s latest outburst came after the Kremlin strongman doubled down on demands that the West keep its hands off Russia’s former Soviet territories – even insisting on written guarantees to halt NATO’s eastward expansion.

Putin reportedly wants a “written” pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand to include countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, according to top Russian officials who spoke to Reuters.

These demands come amid growing frustration from world leaders, with Trump at the forefront, urging Putin to engage seriously with the negotiation process.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump didn’t hold back, saying: “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently.”

Despite holding a lengthy phone call with Putin just last week, Trump admitted he still “can’t tell” if the Russian president truly wants peace.

The comments came shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Moscow had proposed another round of peace talks with Ukraine to take place on June 2 in Istanbul. Kyiv has yet to respond to the invitation.

At the heart of the ongoing stalemate is Putin’s staunch opposition to NATO expansion, particularly the potential inclusion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly insisted that Ukrainian membership of the alliance is unacceptable under any circumstances.

However, Kyiv has made it clear that Moscow has no right to interfere in its sovereign decisions, including the pursuit of NATO membership.

Trump, not one to mince words, doubled down on his criticism of Putin earlier this week. In a fiery post on Truth Social, the former president warned the Russian leader that he was “playing with fire.”

He wrote: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”

In response, Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Medvedev hit back, saying the only truly bad thing to fear was global conflict.
He said: “Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia, I only know of one REALLY BAD thing: WWIII.”

During their two-hour call, Putin reportedly told Trump he had agreed to work with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum. The Kremlin has since stated that it is currently preparing its version of the agreement and that there is no fixed deadline for ceasefire terms to be finalised.

Meanwhile, the war on the ground shows no signs of slowing down. In a dramatic overnight operation, Ukraine launched a brutal revenge strike on Moscow following Russia’s three-day aerial assault.

Ukrainian forces targeted key infrastructure in Moscow’s Zelenograd district, reportedly damaging a vital microchip facility. Explosions were also reported at a drone manufacturing plant and another defence installation in Dubna.

Both sites are believed to have sustained significant damage, dealing a fresh blow to the Kremlin’s military operations. Russia’s defence ministry claims Ukraine launched nearly 300 drones overnight in the daring counterstrike.