His inauguration speech was loudest in its silence on Ukraine. But hours later, US President Donald Trump laid bare – in a trademark casual, rambling fashion – his position over the war in Ukraine. And it was tougher on the Kremlin than you might expect.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia praised President Trump’s second inauguration, but the American leader did not return the compliment.

Trump has the levers to force Putin to end the Russia-Ukraine war promptly if he dispenses with the Biden Administration’s tepid, inconsistent economic pressure.

The new US president made the comments as Russia was hit by a huge Ukranian drone strike - with reports of a 250-kilogram bomb exploding on a military factory with 4,300 employees

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated United States President-elect Donald Trump on his inauguration and told him that Moscow was "open for dialogue" with the new administration over the Russia-Ukraine war.

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Barack Obama attended Trump’s inauguration while wife Michelle decided to skip the ceremony Donald Trump intends to start his second White House term by unleashing more than 100 executive orders and directives.

The Russian president stressed he was open to dialogue with the new US administration on Ukraine and nuclear arms

Vladimir Putin is 'destroying Russia' by not making a deal over the war in Ukraine, new US President Donald Trump has said – Mad Vlad's war in Ukraine continues