Trump says patience with Putin 'running out fast' over Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump on Friday said his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin was running out, but stopped short of threatening new sanctions over the Ukraine war.

Asked if his patience with Putin had run out, Trump said: "Yeah. It's sort of running out and running out fast."

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he had long had a good relationship with Putin, but expressed frustration at his failure to end the war.

"We're going to have to come down very, very strong," he said. Trump said sanctions on banks and oil were an option, along with tariffs, but European countries also needed to participate.

"But I've already done it. I've done a lot," Trump said, noting that India – one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil – was facing a 50% tariff on its exports to the US.

"That's not an easy thing to do. That's a big deal and it causes a rift with India," he told the "Fox & Friends" program.  "And remember this, this is a Europe problem, much more than our problem."

The United States told the United Nations Security Council on Friday it would "defend every inch of NATO territory" after a suspected Russian drone incursion into Poland. "The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations," acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the 15-member body.

The remarks appear aimed at assuaging Washington's NATO allies after Trump on Thursday said Russia's alleged drone incursion into Poland could have been a mistake.

Shea also noted Russia has intensified its bombing campaign against Ukraine since Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska as part of his bid to broker an end to Moscow's more than three-year war in Ukraine. "These actions, now with the addition of violating the airspace of a US ally – intentionally or otherwise – show immense disrespect for good-faith US efforts to bring an end to this conflict," Shea said.

Poland shot down drones in its airspace on Wednesday with the backing of aircraft from its NATO allies, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine.

“We know, and I repeat, we know that it was not a mistake,” Poland's Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki told the council. He showed photos of a downed drone, pointing out Russian lettering on parts of it. "Poland will not be intimidated."

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)