ROME (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia's Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “ very close to a deal ."

Many of President Trump’s actions have been seen as benefiting Russia either directly or indirectly, so much so that Russian officials have celebrated some of his moves.

Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for “shooting missiles into civilian areas” in a post on Truth Social Saturday morning, hours after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.