WASHINGTON − PresidentDonald Trumphas ratcheted up his criticism ofVladimir Putinsince a call with the Russian leaderfailed to produce progressin ending hiswar on Ukraine. Trump said at a Cabinet meeting that he was "not happy" with Putin, who heforcefully criticizedfor a second day in a row. "We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us from Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump said on July 8. "He's very nice all the time but it turns out to be meaningless." More:'We have to': Trump sending weapons to Ukraine after expressing disappointment with Putin The leaders spoke by phone in June and again in early July. Trump said afterward that the call did not produce results. At a dinner on July 7 with Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, Trump also hit out at Putin, saying he was "disappointed" with him and reversed a Pentagon decision to withhold some weapons from Ukraine. Russian drone attacks on Ukraineincreased after thePentagon held upweapons shipments, including those of Patriot interceptors, amid what the Defense Department said was a review of weapons supplies that Trump later overturned. "We're not happy with Putin, I'm not happy with Putin, I can tell you that much right now. Because he's killing a lot of people. And a lot of them are his soldiers," Trump said at the Cabinet meeting. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump rips Putin, says Russian leader 'killing a lot of people'
