Trump has generally veered away from overtly criticizing Putin while openly berating Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, but has repeatedly condemned Russia's lethal airstrikes and floated that the Kremlin could be "tapping us along."

Nearly two weeks after Ukraine’s audacious “Operation Spiderweb” drone strike destroyed numerous Russian strategic bombers, Vladimir Putin’s promised retaliation has been limited to more “routine” drone and missile barrages,

Russia’s armed forces have sustained approximately one million casualties since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, according to the UK. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported on Thursday that Russian troops have likely reached this devastating milestone after three years and four months of brutal war.