US President Donald Trump has said he was "very disappointed" with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a continued deadlock over plans for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I am very disappointed in him. He and I always had a great relationship. I’m very disappointed," Trump said in an interview with the Scott Jennings Radio Show on Tuesday.
The comments followed Trump’s August meetings with both leaders — first with Putin in Alaska on August 15 and then with Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House three days later.
Trump had said at the time that a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting would follow, eventually leading to a trilateral session including himself.
But the Kremlin has downplayed the prospects, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterating on Wednesday that talks could continue only if "new territorial realities" were recognised and formalised in legal terms.
Lavrov also said any settlement must include security guarantees for both sides and ensure Ukraine’s "neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status."
Trump said Russia could face penalties if the meeting fails to materialise.
"Yeah, there will be," he told reporters in the Oval Office.
"We’re going to see what happens. We’re going to see what they do and what happens. I’m watching it very closely."
He has previously warned that Moscow could face "massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both" if progress is not made.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that "all options are on the table," accusing Putin of escalating attacks since the Alaska summit.
"President Putin … has, in a despicable manner, increased the bombing campaign," Bessent told Fox News.
"With President Trump, all options are on the table, and we’ll be examining those very closely this week."
Zelenskyy has accused Moscow of blocking the meeting, while Russia insists the agenda is not ready.
Lavrov said the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations remain in direct contact. "We expect negotiations to continue," he said.
