Trump says Ukraine’s airfield strikes gave Putin "reason to bomb the hell out of them”

US President Donald Trump expressed his expectation that Russia will remain engaged in the negotiation process with Ukraine. 

“I believe that Russia will not stop negotiations with Ukraine to reach a peace agreement,” Trump told American reporters, per Caliber.Az.

At the same time, Trump did not dismiss the possibility of new sanctions against Russia if deemed necessary. However, he has not yet decided whether to approve a “very strong bill” proposed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Emphasising his authority over the issue, Trump stated, “It will depend on me, not on Congress.”

The American president also suggested that recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian airfields provided Moscow with justification for a harsh retaliatory response. “They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,” he said, responding to a journalist’s question about whether these strikes changed his perception of Kyiv’s military capabilities. Trump added, “When I heard about it, I thought: ‘Well, now they will get a retaliatory strike.’”

Despite the escalation, Trump expressed hope that the conflict would not escalate to a nuclear war, saying, “I hope not. I hope.”

These remarks came in the wake of a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on June 6, targeting Kyiv, major cities, and regions in the country’s far west. A total of 80 people were injured and four people killed, including first responders.

Moreover, June 7 saw the most powerful attack on Kharkiv since the start of the full-scale war, resulting in fires, casualties, and widespread destruction.

By morning, 17 people were reported injured in Kharkiv, including two children—a 14-year-old girl and a 1.5-month-old infant—with three fatalities confirmed.

On June 1, Ukraine launched a significant drone attack on four major Russian military airfields, reportedly damaging 41 aircraft, including heavy bombers and the rare A-50 spy planes. Kyiv claimed that this operation disabled about 34% of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, marking one of the most daring strikes in the full-scale conflict.

Reacting to this, Trump issued a warning on June 5 about Russia’s likely retaliation. “Russia’s response to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb is likely not going to be pretty,” Trump said.

Expressing his disapproval of Ukraine’s strike, Trump added, “I don’t like it, I said don’t do it, you shouldn’t do it, you should stop it.”

By Tamilla Hasanova