US president softens his rhetoric but it is unclear whether this will result in tangible support in the war against Russia

An audio recording from 2024 run by CNN in which Trump said he had threatened Putin with bombing Moscow if he entered Ukraine, plus the U.S. leader's latest criticism, could mean a tougher stance by Washington toward Moscow is on the cards.

Vladimir Putin has “played Donald Trump like a violin” over Ukraine, according to a former British intelligence boss. Sir Alex Younger, who was the head of MI6 between 2014 and 2020, said the Russian president is going to make his US counterpart “look like a Muppet” by continuing to bomb its neighbour.