The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin is „absolutely open“ to contact with Donald Trump after the US president said he was „pissed off“ with the Russian leader for criticising the credibility of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Follow the latest here.
Monday 31 March 2025 11:59, UK
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We’ll taking a pause on our coverage of the war in Ukraine.
But you can follow more updates on any reaction to Donald Trump’s comments about Vladimir Putin in our US coverage here…
Russia has said Vladimir Putin remains „absolutely open“ to contact with Donald Trump.
Reacting to comments made by the US leader yesterday, the Kremlin said a conversation between Trump and Putin „can be arranged as needed“.
But no call had been scheduled so far for this week.
On Trump’s comments that he was „pissed off“ with Putin, the Kremlin said: „The statements were given in paraphrase, they were not quoted. That is the first thing.“
They also said that Russia and the US were working on unspecified ideas on a possible peace settlement in Ukraine.
„The president remains absolutely open to contacts with President Trump, so their conversation will be promptly organised when needed,“ the Kremlin added.
We reported earlier on comments made by Trump over the weekend in which he said he was „very angry“ and „pissed off“ after Putin criticised the credibility of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a phone call with Sky News‘ US partner network, NBC News.
Trump said the Russian president’s recent comments, calling for a transitional government to be put in place in Ukraine in a move that could effectively push out Zelenskyy, were „not going in the right direction“.
Russia’s defence ministry has shared images of soldiers carrying out military exercises at an undisclosed location.
Fighting in Ukraine is focused on the eastern flank, which Russia wants to capture entirely.
But neither side has been able to make much progress.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have been progressing in Russia’s Belgorod region.
A US armoured vehicle that went missing in Lithuania has been retrieved from a swamp after a six-day search – but there is still no information about the four American soldiers who were on board, Lithuanian officials have said.
Last week we brought you reports of a search that was under way after four US army soldiers went missing in a training area in eastern Lithuania, near the border with Belarus.
The soldiers were on a training exercise at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrade when the group and their vehicle were reported missing.
Now, Lithuania’s defence minister Dovile Sakaliene has said an armoured vehicle was pulled ashore and police were continuing with their search.
Donald Trump’s words reflect an „even-handedness“ that has been lacking when it comes to Vladimir Putin, our US correspondent James Matthews says.
Matthews explains that what it upsetting Trump is Putin’s intervention at the end of last week in which he questioned the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said a peace agreement brokered by Zelenskyy could in the future be challenged.
„Trump doesn’t see that as productive in terms of progress towards peace and he has threatened Russia with further sanctions if he thinks Russia is holding up a peace agreement,“ Matthews says.
With Trump threatening to impose 50% tariffs on Russian oil, Matthews says: „This is a rebuke for Putin – the likes of which we haven’t heard from Trump, who himself has undermined the credibility of Ukraine’s president.
„This is ultimately a two-way negotiation for America and this from Trump has the sound at least of an even-handedness that has been lacking from the US president.“
Russia is changing its drone tactics on the battlefield, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.
In its latest update, the US-based thinktank noted that Russian forces had struck a military hospital and civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv city over the weekend.
Their report states that Kremlin-affiliated Russian military bloggers agree with a recent report from the German outlet Bild that Russian forces have „altered their long-range drone strike tactic and now have drones loiter several kilometres from their targets at high altitudes“ before conducting strikes with multiple drones.
„The military bloggers further speculated that these tactics have facilitated recent Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro,“ the ISW says.
We reported earlier that Russia had attacked the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine for a second consecutive night.
And over the weekend, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had fired more than 1,000 drones over the past week.
Donald Trump’s comments on Vladimir Putin yesterday have been the subject of some focus, given the shift in the US leader’s tone on the Russian president.
Since taking office in January, Trump has adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary.
But his sharp comments about Putin yesterday reflect his growing frustration about the lack of movement on a ceasefire.
Here is what he had to say last night…
As we’ve been reporting this morning, Vladimir Putin has come under criticism from Donald Trump, whom he has generally spoken positively about in the past.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also had some words to say about the Russian leader in his address last night.
„The geography and brutality of Russian strikes, not just occasionally, but literally every day and night, show that Putin couldn’t care less about diplomacy,“ he said.
„For several weeks now, there has been a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire and almost every day, in response to this proposal, there are Russian drones, bombs, artillery shelling, and ballistic strikes.“
Ukraine’s president also urged the US and its partners to increase pressure on Russia to „break its capacity to wage war.“
„Russia deserves increased pressure – all the tough measures that can break its capacity to wage war and sustain the system that wants nothing but war,“ he added.
„Sanctions against Russia are essential. More air defence for Ukraine is essential. More cooperation and unity among all partners is essential.“
A little more detail from Donald Trump’s comments to reporters on his flight back to Washington late last night, when he also said there was a „psychological deadline“ for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The US president reiterated his annoyance towards Vladimir Putin but added he had „always gotten along well“ with him.
Asked when he wanted Russia to agree to a ceasefire, Trump said there was a „psychological deadline“.
„If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,“ he said.
The US president was speaking after Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping centre and apartment blocks in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing two people and wounding dozens (see post at 6.48am).
Earlier this month, Putin said Russia agreed to an end to fighting in Ukraine, but „lots of questions“ remained over proposals for a 30-day ceasefire.
Casting doubt over whether a deal can be agreed, the Russian president said a ceasefire must lead to „long-term peace“ which „would remove the initial reasons for the crisis“.
Russia has previously said it would not accept Ukraine joining NATO and European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has suggested that 20 April is a „good time for a complete ceasefire without any conditions“ in Ukraine, Yle reports.
Stubb, who is set to meet with Sir Keir Starmer today, said he had spent seven hours with Trump and discussed a range of topics, from NATO membership to Europe taking responsibility for its own security.
During the talks, Stubb said he stressed that a ceasefire must be achieved – and that Finland’s perspective is that 20 April would be a suitable date.
„Why 20 April? It’s because we need a deadline, because it’s Easter, and because Donald Trump will then have been in office for three months,“ he said.
The Finnish president said he sensed growing frustration from Trump with Russia’s delays in coming to a ceasefire deal.
„[Trump] is quite impatient with Russia’s actions, this kind of scheming and delaying regarding the ceasefire. I tried to explain that this is completely normal Russian behaviour. First we negotiate something – and then the conditions are changed once again,“ he added.
Finland officially joined NATO in 2023 and Sweden joined shortly after.
The two Nordic states had long maintained military neutrality, but that changed when Russia launched its war in Ukraine.
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Ukraine war latest: Trump 'p***ed off' with Putin after Ukraine remarks – and threatens Zelenskyy over minerals deal – Sky News
