Trump Calls Putin a "Tough Cookie"…Pressures Russia for Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "tough cookie."

Donald Trump, President of the United States.

On August 1 (local time), President Trump was interviewed by the cable news channel Newsmax. When asked whether his opinion of President Putin had changed in the course of dealing with him to end the war in Ukraine, he said, "He is certainly a tough cookie, but he hasn't changed that much. Still, it's surprising. We had several good conversations where I thought we could end this issue, but then suddenly bombs started flying."

Regarding his demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire "within 10 to 12 days," President Trump said, "(If an agreement is not reached) we will impose sanctions," and added, "He (President Putin) is quite skilled when it comes to sanctions. He knows how to evade them."

President Trump stated, "I talked a lot with Putin, and I thought we had good conversations. But when I returned, I saw bombs exploding in Kyiv and several cities, and people dying. I had good conversations with him and thought things would be resolved three times, but I started to think maybe he intends to take everything."

Regarding Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev's mention of nuclear weapons, President Trump said, "We always want to be prepared. That's why we sent two nuclear submarines to the region."