By Rounak Bagchi

Copyright timesnownews

US President Donald Trump on Sunday for the first time publicly described Russia as the aggressor in its war against Ukraine, marking a notable departure from his earlier reluctance to condemn Moscow. “8,000 soldiers have died this week, from both countries,” Trump told reporters. “Some more from Russia, but when you’re the aggressor, you lose more.” The remark marked a shift in Trump’s tone towards the Kremlin, after months of avoiding such language even as the conflict entered its third year. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Trump has often sought to deflect blame from Moscow. In April, he faulted Kyiv for the conflict, saying: “You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.” Earlier this year, the United States joined Russia and North Korea in opposing a United Nations motion that affirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemned the invasion. Washington also objected to a Group of Seven statement in February that had labelled Russia an aggressor. However, over the summer, the administration began taking a harder line. Officials have pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to join peace talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I stopped seven wars, and I thought this one was going to be easy for me, but this has turned out to be tough,” Trump said Sunday. “I think I have to do all the talking. They [Zelenskyy and Putin] hate each other. They hate each other so much they can’t breathe.” The comments highlighted the President’s frustration with the stalemate, even as he presented himself as capable of getting a deal done. With Moscow unmoved, pressure is mounting on Washington to expand sanctions. Trump suggested Sunday that he was prepared to take that step, but only if Europe strengthened its own measures. “I don’t want them to buy oil,” he said about European countries. “And the sanctions that they are putting on are not tough enough.” Hungary and Slovakia remain among the European Union’s largest purchasers of Russian energy and have resisted the bloc’s push to phase it out. Trump, while describing European governments as “friends,” made clear that he expected them to act first. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.