President Donald Trump, during a joint news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has reportedly said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has really let me down” regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump may be starting to realize that his friendship with Putin is one-sided. For years, he’s boasted about his relationship with the Russian leader, even as other world leaders and intelligence officials warned against it. According to Bloomberg, Trump thinks that if the price of oil comes down, Putin will have “no choice” but to drop out of the war. He’s been pretty vocal about this idea for a while now, urging NATO countries to cut off their oil purchases from Russia. This isn’t just a new thing either; Trump has been pushing for this for a while, even threatening tariffs on countries like India and China for buying Russian petroleum. He’s said that it’s “shocking” that some NATO members continue to buy Russian oil, and that it weakens the alliance’s bargaining power against Russia. While Trump has repeatedly promised a swift end to the conflict, his demands have been a bit of a mixed bag. He’s called for a halt in oil purchases from Russia, but he’s also been seen as reluctant to confront Putin directly. It’s almost as if he’s trying to find a way to be tough on Russia without having to get into a direct conflict with Putin himself. Trump was hurt personally by Putin’s empty promises Trump has, however, said that he is ready to impose “major Sanctions on Russia” but only if all NATO nations agree to do the same and stop buying Russian oil. The whole situation feels like a repeat of Trump opening his heart to Putin to be turned down. You have Trump making strong statements about his disappointment in Putin, while at the same time, he’s putting the onus on Europe to take the first and most painful steps. To be fair, Europe has made some progress in reducing its reliance on Russian energy, but countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Turkey still buy Russian oil. This is likely why Trump is focusing so much on this point. It’s a way for him to put the pressure on his allies while also looking like he’s trying to solve the problem. Trump says Russian President Putin has “let me down”.“The one [war] that I thought would be easiest because of my relationship with President Putin – but he's really let me down – was going to be Russia and Ukraine, but we'll see how that turns out.”— Sightless Speaks (@kumar_nan2) September 18, 2025 The fact that Trump is now framing this as a personal betrayal, with his hurt wording, “He’s let me down” is just a funny outcome. It’s a different approach than what we’ve seen from other leaders who have condemned Putin’s actions on a more fundamental, moral level. For Trump, it seems to be about the failure to live up to a personal expectation or deal. That, in a weird way, makes perfect sense for his persona. It’s not about the war itself, but about the fact that Putin didn’t do what Trump thought he was going to do or what they planned on together in whispers in the dark. The whole thing feels less like a geopolitical strategy and more like a breakup.