‘Very disappointed cause Vladimir…’: Trump as Russia-Ukraine war continues despite his efforts

Donald Trump once again said he is ‘very disappointed’ and criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral lunch with the President of the Argentine Republic on Tuesday. He claimed that Putin is simply unwilling to end his war with Ukraine.

"Look, I'm very disappointed because Vladimir and I had a very good relationship, probably still do," Trump said.

"He's gotta really settle this war. And you know they have long lines waiting for gasoline in Russia right now ... And all of the sudden his economy is going to collapse."

Trump's latest criticism of Vladimir Putin comes after he warned Russia that he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow doesn’t settle its war there soon.

Vladimir Putin has previously cautioned that supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine would cross a red line and further escalate hostilities. The concern follows a renewed Russian assault on Ukraine’s power grid, part of a campaign to cripple its energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

Power cuts in Ukraine after Russian strikes

Ukraine's energy provider on Tuesday said it had implemented power cuts in eight of the country's regions following damage to energy infrastructure after Russian strikes.

"Due to the difficult situation in the energy system caused by previous Russian attacks – in Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, as well as partially in Kirovograd, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions – emergency shutdowns have been implemented," Ukrenergo said in a statement, as per AFP.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of reportedly wanting to sow chaos with the strikes, which have also harmed the Ukrainian gas sector.

Last week, the Ukrainian president confirmed he was in talks with US officials regarding the potential supply of “various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.

What are Tomahawk missiles?

Tomahawk missiles are designed to follow a non-linear path, so they cannot be shot down.

First used during Operation Dust Storm in the 1991 Gulf War, Tomahawk missiles are intermediate-range cruise missiles – meaning they have a range of around 800 miles (1,250 kilometers) to 1500 miles (2,500 kilometers).

Tomahawk missiles were also used by the US when Donald Trump had ordered military strikes against Syria in 2017, in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians, including children, reported the CNN.