'I don't trust a lot of people' — Trump offers contradictory views on Putin's intentions in interview on first 100 days

U.S. President Donald Trump offered varying contradictory assessments of Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to put an end to the war in Ukraine during an interview with ABC News on April 29.

The interview, focused on Trump's first 100 days in office, posed Trump's strikingly different opinion on Putin's intention just days after Trump posted on Truth Social that the Russian leader may be "tapping me along" on peace negotiations.

In a Truth Social post published shortly after he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican on April 26, Trump said that "there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days."

"It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through banking or secondary sanctions?" Trump posted.

When prompted by the suggestion that Putin may be stalling negotiations, Trump replied that it was "possible."

"He could be tapping me along a little bit, I would say that he would like to stop the war," Trump said during the ABC News interview.

Despite the suggestion that Putin may be attempting to stall negotiations, Trump added later during the ABC interview that "he's willing to stop the fighting."

"I think he (wants peace), yes. I think he does," Trump said.

Trump, who has promised to negotiate a peace in Ukraine within his first 100 days in office, has recently grown frustration over what he views as Moscow’s unwillingness to bring an end to the three-year war.

U.S. officials have emphasized that this week will be crucial for determining whether the U.S. will continue its involvement in efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, amid Trump's growing frustration.

On April 28, Putin announced a three-day ceasefire from May 8 to 11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, a move that Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg dismissed as "absurd."

When asked if Trump trusted Putin, the U.S. president side-stepped the question during a testy exchange with the interviewer: "I don't trust a lot of people. I don't trust you."

"Putin's dream was to take over the whole country. I think because of me, he's not gonna do that," Trump concluded.

Despite ongoing peace negotiations, Russia has reportedly intensified its attacks in recent weeks, including in the Sumy region. During a temporary three-day ceasefire declared by Russia over Easter earlier this month, Zelensky accused Moscow of nearly 3,000 violations between April 19 and April 21.