Trump lashes Putin and U-turns on sending weaponry to Ukraine
Mr Trump made the comments during a meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday local time, saying he was "very unhappy" that Mr Putin had made no progress on peace talks with Ukraine since the pair held a phone call last week.
The US has been seeking to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia since Mr Trump's inauguration, but so far an agreement has been elusive.
"We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Mr Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
"He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."
Asked about his interest in a bill proposed by the Senate for further sanctions on Russia, Mr Trump said: "I'm looking at it very strongly."
Earlier, Mr Trump said the US would have to continue shipping air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons to Ukraine.
The Pentagon paused deliveries of those supplies just under a week ago due to low stockpiles, prompting alarm in Kyiv.
The Pentagon affirmed late Monday that at Mr Trump's direction, it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine "to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops."
The US president, who alarmed Kyiv and western allies with his pivot towards Mr Putin soon after returning to the White House, confirmed that decision on Tuesday.
"Putin is not treating human beings right. He's killing too many people," Mr Trump said.
"So we're sending some defensive weapons and I've approved that."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the US's resumption of shipments by observing that there were many contradictory statements about US weapons supplies to Ukraine.
"Obviously, supplies are continuing, that's clear. Obviously, the Europeans are actively involved in pumping Ukraine full of weapons," Mr Peskov said.
"As for what kind of supplies and in what quantity Ukraine continues to receive from the United States, it will still take time to clarify this definitively."
Mr Peskov said the decision to send arms to Ukraine "do not align with attempts to promote a peaceful resolution".
Ukraine's cities have come under renewed attack by Russian drones in recent weeks, as Russia seeks to put pressure on Kyiv and the US.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Vololdymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 glide bombs at Ukraine over the past week.
Russia was also attempting to break through the 1,000-kilometre front line along eastern Ukraine.
Mr Trump has expressed displeasure with the intensifying attacks, threatening to level sanctions against countries which choose to trade with Russia.
US Senator Lindsey Graham said last week that Mr Trump has given him the go-ahead to push forward with a bill that for a 500 per cent tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil.
The move would have huge ramifications for China and India, two economic behemoths that buy Russian oil.
At his cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he was looking at the bill "very strongly".
Reuters/AP
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