Efforts by the United States to diplomatically end the war in Ukraine appear to have hit a dead end, leaving former President Donald Trump increasingly pressured—even from some Republicans—to intensify his stance against Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Following a recent phone call between the two leaders, Trump expressed frustration over Putin’s continued aggression toward Ukraine during remarks to reporters on Friday (July 4, 2025).
‘I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had with President Putin today because he doesn’t seem to be there, and I’m very disappointed,’ Trump stated. He added, ‘I’ll just say he doesn’t think about stopping, and that’s very bad. I didn’t make any progress with him.’
The discussion did not include U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine, according to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president. In response, Trump clarified to journalists that the U.S. has not completely halted military aid to Kyiv, though some equipment shipments were paused recently due to concerns about domestic defense readiness.
‘We are giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons already. We’re still giving them,’ Trump said, adding, ‘We’re working with them and trying to help them, but we haven’t stopped entirely. You know, Biden emptied our country giving them weapons, and we need to ensure we have enough for ourselves.’
This partial freeze on military support has confused Ukrainian officials and raised questions about Trump’s overall approach to the ongoing conflict. Last week, the U.S. president had pledged to send a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, signaling a possible shift in strategy. Ukrainian officials met with the American envoy in Kyiv earlier this week to stress the importance of continued U.S. military assistance and warn that halting certain arms shipments could weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.