Trump Now Thinks Friendship With Putin Is 'Not Going To Work', President's Ally Says

Donald Trump no longer thinks a friendship with Vladimir Putin is the right tactic to secure a peace deal for Ukraine, according to a close friend of the president.

Trump has long made high-handed promises about ending the war, but seven months into his second term, is yet to deliver.

In his bid to get any kind of truce over the line, the president has upended the united western approach and instead appeared to side with Russia.

That included even echoing Kremlin talking points like falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the war, and suggesting Ukraine give up some of its occupied sovereign land to end the conflict.

While he called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and lambasted him publicly in the Oval Office, he invited Putin to Alaska for a face-to-face summit and even rolled out the red carpet for him.

Trump was so confident at the time that he was caught on a hot-mic moment last month telling France’s Emmanuel Macron that he believes Putin would make a deal “for me”.

But, as the Russian president continues to drag his heels, repeatedly bombards Ukraine and refuses to negotiate, it seems Trump is starting to change his tune.

The CEO of the conservative media outlet Newsmax and close friend of Trump, Chris Ruddy, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the president does not think a friendship with the authoritarian is the right way forward.

“He sees this is an economic battle,” Ruddy said. “He wants sanctions, he wants Nato countries to stop buying Russian oil.

“He sees this as an economic war, as a business man, and I think his approach was Putin is a bad guy – although he won’t say it publicly.

“I believe he thinks Putin is a dangerous person.”

He added: “You can’t underestimate how super-savvy Donald Trump is. He sees this situation, he’s got Zelenskyy in his back pocket, he’s a friend, he’s an ally, they’re going to co-operate.

“Putin hasn’t talked to anyone. He hasn’t talked to any American president, he’s reluctant, he won’t do anything.

“So Trump looks at this and says, ‘well, let me see if I can be his friend, I’ll reach out, I’ll be overly-generous, I’ll be overly-kind’.

“He tried that and I think he really, honestly, thought it was going to work.

“He’s coming to the conclusion that it’s not going to work, and that he needs to do other means.

“That’s why he is ramping up talks about tariffs, and secondary tariffs on India and China.

“I think, give him credit for trying.”

He claimed Trump’s similar efforts with Kim Jong Un in his first term led to “some stability and peace” in US-North Korea relations for several years.

He added: “You can never fault anyone for overtures for peace.”

Trump is currently in the UK for a scheduled state visit, and Keir Starmer is expected to press him on increasing support for Ukraine today.

However, Ruddy noted that Trump is still not in favour in sending in the US army to give Kyiv physical backing.

“I think the president is highly reluctant to put troops on the ground,” he said.

“That’s nothing to do with Ukraine. He just doesn’t like American troops put in harm’s way. He doesn’t like physical engagements. He’ll do these kinetic strikes from time to time, you saw that in Iran, but it’s still not really deploying American troops and putting them in a lot of risk.”