Just hours after warning Eastern axis powers China, Russia, and North Korea to not "conspire" against America, President Donald Trump continued to signal a toughening stance against Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine.
"I have no message to President Putin," Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House as he met Polish President Karol Nawrocki. "He knows where I stand, and he'll make a decision one way or another.
"Whatever his decision is, we'll either be happy about it or unhappy about it, and if we're unhappy about it, you'll see things happen."
Trump wants to get to the bottom of the war and peace talks, trying to avoid the massive daily body counts.
"I'm not happy with all the people – you got 7,819 people killed last week, Russian soldiers and Ukraine soldiers, right? Not American soldiers, not soldiers from Poland.
"But they're human beings; they're souls. They have parents. They wave goodbye to their parents, and the parents never see them again. That's the end of it.
"Over a stupid war. And I want to see it stopped."
Poland serves as a key base for American military forces and assets. Meanwhile, Europe's so-called "Coalition of the Willing" is meeting to discuss security guarantees — talks that could include the deployment of troops from certain NATO member states willing to station forces on Ukrainian soil.
Trump has been frustrated at his inability to put a halt to the fighting, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after he initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January.
Trump said he would be holding talks in the next few days. A White House official said Trump is expected to speak on the phone Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The French office of the president said earlier Wednesday that several European leaders, including Zelenskyy and France's Emmanuel Macron, would call Trump on Thursday afternoon. The call concluded, and a readout will be forthcoming from the White House.
That call was expected to follow a largely virtual meeting Thursday, hosted by France, with about 30 countries discussing their latest plans to provide Ukraine with security support once a peace agreement with Russia is reached. The European leaders were also expected to denounce Moscow's unwillingness to negotiate.
Putin has shown little interest in ending the war after he and Trump voiced optimism about making progress during their meeting in Anchorage on Aug. 16.
Trump issued a public warning about the group that conservatives have labeled the emerging "Axis of Evil," claiming it was brought together under former President Joe Biden.
Do not dare to "conspire against" the U.S., Trump wrote in a scathing rebuke as China's Xi Jinping, Putin, and North Korea's Kim Jong Un gathered at China's military parade.
"The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and 'blood' that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Many Americans died in China's quest for victory and glory. I hope that they are rightfully honored and remembered for their bravery and sacrifice!
"May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP"
The post got the attention of Russia, with the Kremlin issuing a response claiming Putin was not conspiring with China and North Korea, suggesting Trump was being ironic with his criticism.
"I would like to say that no one has been conspiring, no one has been plotting anything, no conspiracies," Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told Russian state television about Trump's remarks. "No one even had such a thought – none of these three leaders had such a thought.
"I can say that everyone understands the role played by the United States, the current administration of President Trump, and President Trump personally in the current international situation."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.