‘He’s really let me down’: Trump voices frustration over failed Ukraine peace talks with Putin

US President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed sharp disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the Kremlin leader had failed him in efforts to end the Ukraine war. Trump’s remarks came during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, where both leaders condemned Moscow’s recent escalation.

Trump admitted that while he once believed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would be the “easiest” to resolve, he has been proven wrong. Still, he insisted that he remains confident of ultimately brokering peace.

Peace summit yields no breakthrough

The comments follow last month’s high-profile summit in Alaska, where Trump personally pressed Putin to begin direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Despite the engagement, no peace framework emerged.

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“I thought the Russia-Ukraine war was the easiest to stop but Putin has let me down. I thought it may be easiest. As you know, we are working for a solution for Israel and Gaza, we are working to solve so many conflicts, we will get Israel-Gaza done, likewise, Russia and Ukraine will also be done, but you never know in war,” Trump said, as reported by foreign media.

He added, “I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers. But, yeah, he’s let me down.”

‘He’s really let me down’: Trump

At the press briefing, Trump repeated his frustration, stressing that his long-standing rapport with Putin had not delivered results. “He’s let me down. He’s really let me down,” Trump said.

“The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with (Russia’s) President Putin, but he’s let me down, he’s really let me down. It was going to be Russia and Ukraine, but we’ll see how that turns out,” he added.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Starmer accused the Russian leader of exposing his “true face” after Moscow launched what he described as the largest assault since the war began. He argued the attacks and violations of NATO airspace showed Putin had no real interest in peace.

“These are not the actions of someone who wants peace. We discussed today how we can strengthen our defences, support Ukraine further, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to agree to a lasting peace,” Starmer said.

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Trump defends his record

Trump also used the occasion to remind allies that the invasion began under his successor, arguing Putin would not have dared attack during his presidency.

“If I were president, it would have never happened, and it didn’t happen for four years. People, most people, agree. It didn’t happen, nor was it close to happening,” he said. He further suggested that Putin launched the war in 2022 because “he didn’t respect the leadership of the United States” at that time.

The joint conference marked the closing day of Trump’s state visit to the UK. Alongside discussions on Ukraine, the two leaders announced a sweeping technology partnership expected to deliver billions in investment and thousands of jobs across artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.

Starmer described the agreement as “groundbreaking” and hailed it as the largest investment package in British history.