U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine must compensate Russia for destroyed aircraft, adding: "They were just sitting there, not bothering anyone. If the Ukrainians had shot them down during a combat mission, that would be a different matter. But they were just sitting there. It's like hitting someone who's already down."

During a visit by the German leader, President Trump essentially threw up his hands, saying that there was nothing the United States could do right now to end the war.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin intends to retaliate “very strongly” against Ukraine for a surprise drone strike on Russian airfields over the weekend, a declaration that provoked alarm in Washington and abroad even as Trump touted his efforts to bring peace to the region.