State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce read President Trump’s “Truth Social” posts about Russian President Putin, “for those who did not see,” as statements of U.S. policy during Tuesday’s official press briefing. On Sunday, A< href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114571369956761390">the president wrote: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers.” This morning, Trump added: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”

REPORTER: After the Istanbul talks, Secretary Rubio said he did not believe they were a waste of time, because the Russians were going to be putting forward this proposal for a potential end to the war. The Russians have still not given the U.S. that proposal. Do you believe it was not a waste of time? When is the U.S. actually going to levy these sanctions and perhaps walk away from negotiations? TAMMY BRUCE: You have seen, I’m sure, President Trump’s TWEETS. He is the one who recently spoke directly to President Putin and the one whose vision of diplomacy is getting them to stop across the globe. Certainly, that can be arranged. He’s been very optimistic. And as we have seen over the last few days, including this morning, the president has been very blunt about his opinion of Vladimir Putin. What I can say is-what has generated the president’s ire, and all of our extreme concern, are the attacks resulting in civilian casualties in Ukraine. The president has said many times: This has to stop. We are monitoring reports that the airstrikes by Russia this weekend constituted the largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the war. Our thoughts and prayers and awareness sit with the victims and their families. We are calling for restraint and urge all parties to avoid further escalation. We continue to support direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. The president supports any mechanism that leads to a just, durable, and lasting peace. Any mechanism. There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a diplomatic solution is necessary. For those who did not see the president’s statement indicating the extremity of his concern from last night: I’ve always had a good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He is needlessly killing a lot of people-and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine for no reason whatsoever. That goes on. That is from his Truth Social account. This morning, he noted: What Vladimir Putin does not realize is-if it weren’t for me, a lot of really bad things would have already happened in Russia. And I mean really bad. He’s playing with fire. … REPORTER: The memorandum for peace Russia is supposed to be coming up with-was the timeline ever set for when Russia needed to hit that over? Are they delay tactics? TAMMY BRUCE: I can’t speak to what the agreement would have been, if there is a timeline. I cannot share that information. Clearly, you should look to the president’s sentiment that he’s made public as to whether or not he’s satisfied with what they have done. REPORTER: Any reaction to Russia’s response to the president calling him emotional? TAMMY BRUCE: I’m not going to speak about the president’s emotions. But one reason why he was elected with a mandate last year is we can relate to him. He’s transparent, doing something he cares passionately about. He knows what he wants to accomplish. He inherited a world that is on fire and is determined to stop those things. We’ve heard his remarks about all of this-clearly indicating a personal interest in the nature of what is occurring. I think that is what we all appreciate about him. If the Russians cared about the nature of how this is proceeding, they would think less about that and more about what they can do-which is in their hands-to stop the carnage and slaughter that is happening right now. So it is pretty clear where both sides are. REPORTER: This conversation with Vladimir Putin- is it fair to expect some immediate policy adjustment? TAMMY BRUCE: I would not call it frustration. It is a statement of the man who has led the effort for peace in so many different regions-making it clear, being transparent about his opinion on what has transpired. That is something Russia should take seriously. Americans certainly do. As I mentioned last week, there are many different things a president has at his disposal to make sure our position is felt-and that can be used to make an impact to stop this carnage.

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