President Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin has indeed "curdled," a significant shift from the seemingly favorable position Russia held after Trump's election. This change is attributed primarily to Putin's perceived hubris and continued escalation of the war in Ukraine, which has alienated a potential White House ally.

A Bright Start Gone Sour:

Upon taking office, Trump's administration appeared to align with some of Russia's war aims. He had promised to quickly end the war, expressed skepticism about Ukraine's NATO aspirations, seemed willing to accept Russia's control of annexed Ukrainian territory (including Crimea), and was disinclined to provide substantial defense aid to Kyiv. This initial stance was seen as a potential peace offering that could have secured many of Russia's objectives.

However, Putin's refusal to settle and his continued aggression ultimately led to the deterioration of this promising start. Despite Russia's significant military losses (estimated at over a quarter-million soldiers) and a weakened economy, Putin repeatedly rebuffed Trump's pushes for a cease-fire. Instead, he intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including a record-breaking barrage with over 700 drones and missiles. American officials believe Putin's ambition to conquer major Ukrainian cities like Kherson, Odesa, or even Kyiv is "delusional," but his persistent efforts on the battlefield further strained relations.

A pivotal moment was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Oval Office visit in February, where Trump publicly belittled Zelenskyy and appeared to side with Putin, even suggesting Putin was a victim of an American "witch hunt." The U.S. also pressed Ukraine to sign an agreement to hand over much of its mineral wealth. While initially seeming beneficial for Russia, Putin's continued aggression ultimately backfired.

Trump's patience with Putin appears to have worn thin. Following repeated conversations with Putin this year, Trump has now openly criticized the Russian leader. In April, after a heavy Russian barrage on Ukraine, Trump posted online: "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!"

More recently, Trump has stated he is "not happy with Putin" because he is "killing Ukrainians." He remarked, "We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless." This marks a significant rhetorical shift for Trump, indicating how much Putin has alienated the White House.

In a concrete policy change, Trump has resumed weapons shipments to Ukraine after a brief pause by the Pentagon. Furthermore, Senate Republicans are pushing for new sanctions against Russia, a proposal Trump is reportedly considering.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Malaysia. Rubio conveyed Trump's "disappointment" regarding Russia's lack of flexibility in ending the conflict and stressed the need for a "roadmap" to conclude the war.

Meanwhile, Germany has expressed its preparedness to buy Patriot air defense systems from the U.S. to provide them to Ukraine, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz having discussed this with Trump and Zelenskyy. The UK is also signing a deal to supply Ukraine with over 5,000 air defense missiles from Thales.

Despite these developments, Russia continues its intense aerial bombardment of Ukraine, with President Zelenskyy calling the record-breaking strikes "pure terrorism." Ukraine, though war-weary, maintains its will to fight and is innovating on the battlefield, with drones inflicting significant tolls on the Russian army.

A new book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," claims Trump threatened to "bomb the s**t out of Moscow" if Putin attacked Ukraine.

The Department of Justice has closed the Jeffrey Epstein case, concluding there was no client list and ruling his death a suicide. This decision has sparked controversy, particularly concerning the previous statements about videos and a client list. Ghislaine Maxwell remains imprisoned for child sex trafficking, but critics question the lack of further charges given the DOJ's findings.

Russia's population has seen a net reduction of 5 million since 2021, attributed to emigration and a higher death rate than birth rate. Military casualties and the economic impact of the war are contributing factors.

Russia launches record drone and missile barrage at Ukraine
Trump denies he was unaware of Ukraine weapons pause day after admitting he didn’t know who ordered it.

U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had a frank and important conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the war in Ukraine.

Rubio said he reinforced President Donald Trump's disappointment that there has not been more flexibility on the Russian side.

"We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude," Rubio said after the 50-minute meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN conference.

How reliant is Kyiv on US military assistance?

As Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine - how reliant is Kyiv on US assistance?

The US President has signified a hardening in his approach towards Moscow but it is unclear whether this will influence the course of the war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Ukraine peace deal as well as the situation in Iran and Syria at a meeting in the Malaysian capital on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"A substantive and frank exchange of views took place on the settlement of the situation around Ukraine, the situation around Iran and Syria, as well as a number of other international issues," the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov and Rubio "confirmed their mutual desire to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, restore Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation, and facilitate unimpeded contacts between the societies of the two countries." Constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington will continue, the Russian ministry said.

All said and done, an immediate solution of three year old Russia-Ukraine war as the situation in no ways in getting better.

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