Trump calls Russia «the aggressor» in war with Ukraine for the first time

US President Donald Trump has for the first time called Russia «the aggressor» in the war against Ukraine, demonstrating a tougher stance against Moscow.

This was reported by Politico, according to «European Truth».

«This week, 8,000 soldiers from both countries have been killed. A little more from Russia, but when you're the aggressor, you lose more», said Donald Trump during a conversation with journalists, speaking about the losses of both sides.

Earlier, Donald Trump refrained from condemning Russia for the invasion. In February, his administration, along with Russia and North Korea, rejected a UN resolution that reaffirmed Ukraine's territorial integrity and recognised Russia as an aggressor. The United States also opposed a G7 statement with the same wording.

In April, Donald Trump publicly blamed Ukraine for the war, saying that «you can't start a war against a country 20 times your size and then expect to be given a few missiles».

However, his rhetoric changed in the summer. The US administration began to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin, who is blocking Donald Trump's attempts to organise direct peace talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

«I stopped seven wars and thought this one would be easy for me, but it turned out to be difficult», said Donald Trump, commenting on Russia's war against Ukraine.

Despite the toughening of rhetoric, Trump's tougher stance has not forced the Kremlin to the negotiating table. As a result, the US administration is facing increasing calls for new, more severe sanctions against Russia.

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to have another conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the coming days.

Earlier, Donald Trump confirmed that he is committed to facilitating a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, despite the uncertainty over the possibility of face-to-face talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.

He also recently said that he had no specific message for Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine. According to him, the Russian leader will make his own decision, and the United States will act on it.

At the same time, the Russian president said that he would hold talks if the Ukrainian leader came to Moscow.