Washington, DC [US], September 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'let me down' for not stopping the war with Ukraine.

'He has let me down. I mean, he's killing many people and he's losing more people than he's, you know, than he's killing. I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers,' Trump said at a news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump confessed that even though he thought that the Russia-Ukraine war would be the 'easiest' one to solve, it was not the case.

Further, he insisted that the war in Ukraine would not have begun if he had remained in the White House. 'This was a thing that would have never happened had I been president. If I were president, it would have never happened. And it didn't happen for four years,' Trump asserted. 'Most people agree it didn't happen, nor was it close to happening.'

Despite a summit between Putin and Trump at Alaska, during which the US leader urged the Russian president to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, a peace deal did not materialise.

In February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, aiming to 'demilitarize and denazify' the country, according to President Vladimir Putin.

The Russia-Ukraine war is an ongoing conflict that started in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale war in February 2022. The conflict began with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, followed by support for separatist movements in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

Ukraine has launched counteroffensives, notably in the south and northeast, reclaiming territory. Russia has captured key areas like Mariupol and made gains in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In August 2024, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, capturing territory and prisoners.

The UN reports over 10,000 civilian deaths, with many more wounded. The conflict has displaced millions, creating a significant humanitarian challenge.

In his opening remarks, Starmer praised the historic bonds between the UK and US, adding that both countries are 'ready to define this century together.'

Earlier today, the leaders announced a new 'tech prosperity deal' between the two countries, CNN reported.

Starmer stressed that Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine show that President Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace.

The UK PM said he and Trump talked about how to 'increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree a peace deal that will last.'

Earlier, Trump called on NATO and European nations to take stronger action against Russia, particularly criticising Europe for continuing to buy oil from Moscow.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'They're not doing the job. NATO has to get together. Europe has to get together. Europe is my friend, but Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don't want them to buy oil. And the sanctions that they're putting on are not tough enough. And I'm willing to do sanctions, but they're going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I'm doing.'

He also criticised European nations for continuing to import liquefied natural gas from Russia. 'It's not the deal, though. The deal is they're not supposed whether it's natural gas or whether it's cigarettes, I don't care. They're not supposed to be buying from Russia,' he added.'

He also wrote a letter to NATO nations, stating, 'I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA.'

Further, Trump proposed that NATO impose tariffs of 50 per cent to 100 per cent on China. 'I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50 per cent to 100 per cent TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR,' Trump wrote. 'China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.'