‘Maybe Putin does not want to stop war’: Donald Trump says Russian president is ‘just tapping’ him along

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (April 26) criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for escalating missile attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine, questioning whether Putin truly wants to end the war.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days."

Expressing frustration over the renewed violence, Trump said the attacks made him doubt Putin's intentions: "It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along."

Trump also hinted at a tougher response if diplomatic efforts fail, suggesting economic measures could be intensified. "He has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?'" Trump wrote.

Highlighting the human cost of the conflict, Trump added, "Too many people are dying!!!"

Russian strikes on Ukraine

Trump's latest remarks come as Russian attacks across Ukraine overnight killed three people and injured six others, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. Two people died in a strike on Yarova in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to local Governor Vadym Filashkin. Another fatality was reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Governor Serhiy Lysak said an 88-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl were among the injured.

Drone and missile barrage

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched three missiles and 114 drones overnight. Of these, 66 drones were destroyed, and 31 decoy drones failed to reach their targets, the air force said in a statement.

At the same time, Russia's defense ministry claimed that its air defenses shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Russia claims control of Kursk border areas

Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had been fully pushed out of Russia’s Kursk border region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov relayed the information to Russian state media outlet Interfax.

In response, Putin reportedly congratulated Russian troops, stating, "The complete defeat of our enemy along Kursk’s border region creates the right conditions for further successes for our troops and in other important areas of the front."

North Korean troops confirmed fighting for Russia

In a major admission, Gerasimov confirmed that North Korean soldiers participated in combat missions alongside Russian forces in Kursk. He praised the North Korean troops, saying they "demonstrated high professionalism, showed fortitude, courage and heroism in battle."

Background on troop deployment

Last fall, Ukraine, the US, and South Korea accused North Korea of sending 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang had previously avoided directly confirming the presence of North Korean forces, merely stating their cooperation complied with international law.

Trump and Zelensky discuss peace deal at Vatican

Also today, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly on Saturday in Vatican City on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral.

Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes, describing the discussion as "very constructive" with both sides ready to "move quickly" toward a potential ceasefire.

No second meeting planned

While an additional meeting was initially scheduled for later Saturday, Nykyforov said it was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.