Donald Trump has continued to bash US President Joe Biden amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Saturday evening, Trump described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as "smart", while taking another verbal shot as Biden.

As reported by CNN, Trump said: "The problem is not that Putin is smart, which, of course, he’s smart.

"The problem is that our leaders are dumb… and so far, allowed him to get away with this travesty and assault on humanity."

Trump added: "Putin is playing [Joe] Biden like a drum and it’s not a pretty thing to watch."

And speaking of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump praised the leader's defiance, saying: "He’s a brave man, he’s hanging in."

Donald Trump's criticism against Joe Biden comes after the former POTUS was quick to slam the current president shortly after Putin announced his "special military operation" against Ukraine on Thursday.

Speaking Fox News via telephone on Thursday, Trump said: "As an American, I'm angry about it and saddened by it."

He added that Putin's plan would never have occurred if he was in the White House, saying: "The whole thing should never have happened and it would never have happened during my administration."

Failing to elaborate on this comment, Trump added: "It didn’t for a very good reason and I’ll explain that to you someday."

Trump also suggested that Putin saw the opportunity to invade Ukraine after witnessing President Biden's withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

He said: "I think that it's a terrible thing. The way it started -- I really don't believe he wanted to do this initially, I think he wanted to do something and negotiate and it just got worse and worse.

"And then he saw the weakness -- and do you know when it really started? I think with the weakness in Afghanistan, the way [the Biden Administration] pulled out of Afghanistan. I really believe that's where [Putin] started thinking, you know, he could do this."

Trump's recent comment come as unrest has continued throughout the night in Ukraine, per CNN.

The outlet reports that there has been heavy gunfire throughout the western district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday evening, resulting in the death of a six-year-old boy.

Additionally, a woman was killed after a residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by "enemy artillery, Ukraine's state emergency service reported.

Early Sunday morning, two large explosions were seen roughly 18 miles south of Kyiv.

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US President Donald Trump has made a striking new admission about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite many of Trump's critics often voicing concerns about the POTUS' relationship with Putin, the 78-year-old has now taken to social media to suggest that the Kremlin leader may not be serious about ending the war in Ukraine — and hinting that he might need to be "dealt with differently".

In a lengthy post on Truth Social - shared on Saturday (April 26) - Trump took aim at "The Failing New York Times" and how the publication would slam any deal he orchestrated between Russia and Ukraine - "even if it’s the greatest deal ever made".

"This is Sleepy Joe Biden’s War, not mine," Trump added. "It was a loser from day one, and should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened if I were President at the time. I’m just trying to clean up the mess that was left to me by Obama and Biden, and what a mess it is."

However, in a surprising turn, Trump then publicly questioned Putin and his intent regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, specifically referring to Russia's deadly attack on Kyiv earlier this week.

Trump wrote: "With all of that being said, 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?' Too many people are dying!!!"

On the morning of April 24, Kyiv suffered its deadliest Russian assault in nine months, per CBS News. The Ukrainian air force reported that 66 ballistic and cruise missiles, four plane-launched missiles, and 145 Shahed and decoy drones were unleashed on Kyiv and the surrounding regions, adds The Washington Post.

The attack left at least nine people dead and over 70 injured, with emergency workers pulling survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in South Africa at the time, cut his trip short and returned home, calling the Russian bombardment "one of [Russia’s] most outrageous."

As Ukraine mourned, Trump took to Truth Social again to address the attack, directing a public message at Putin: "Not necessary, and very bad timing," he wrote. "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Trump’s frustration was not limited to Russia. He also took aim at Zelenskyy, criticizing the Ukrainian leader for rejecting recent peace proposals over Crimea.

“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,” Zelensky said, per Al Jazeera, rebuffing any negotiation that involved ceding Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

However, despite tensions boiling over, it appears that progress may be being made - even if it is just between the US and Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Trump asserted that a deal between Ukraine and Russia was "very close" and pressured Zelenskyy to finalize it: "We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE," he wrote. "I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!"

Additionally, before the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City on April 26, Trump and Zelenskyy held a private meeting — their first in-person encounter since their tense White House exchange earlier this year.

According to aides, the two leaders met for about 15 minutes on the sidelines of the ceremony, shortly before gathering with other dignitaries at St Peter’s Square.

Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov confirmed the meeting, telling reporters: "The leaders agreed to continue their discussions today. Teams are working on organising the continuation of the meeting," per France24.

A White House spokesman, Steven Cheung, described the initial conversation as "a very productive discussion" and indicated that further details would be provided at a later time.

Both leaders spoke positively about the encounter afterward. Trump characterized the meeting as part of ongoing efforts to move peace negotiations forward, while Zelenskyy took to social media to call it a “good meeting,” adding: “We discussed a lot one-on-one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

The two were also photographed in a larger four-way exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. 

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Former US President Donald Trump has weighed in on Russia's invasion of Ukraine - slamming Joe Biden in the process.

Overnight, President Vladimir Putin announced that his "special military operation" is underway in Ukraine, as Russian forces crossed the border into Ukraine.

In an address to the Russian people that was broadcast on Russian national television on Thursday morning, Putin urged Ukrainian forces to lay down their weapons and go home.

"Our plans are not to occupy Ukraine, we do not plan to impose ourselves on anyone," Putin said. He added that "those who may be tempted to intervene" will face consequences, and that any possible bloodshed will be down to the Ukrainian government.

Putin said: "Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history."

He added that the main goal of the operation is to protect those who have "suffered from abuse and genocide from the Kyiv regime".

Now, Trump has spoken out about the "operation", telling Fox News via telephone: "As an American, I'm angry about it and saddened by it."

However, Trump also added that Putin's plan would never have occurred if he was in the White House, adding: "The whole thing should never have happened and it would never have happened during my administration."

Failing to elaborate on this comment, Trump added:  "It didn’t for a very good reason and I’ll explain that to you someday."

Trump also suggested that Putin saw the opportunity to invade Ukraine after witnessing President Biden's withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

He said: "I think that it's a terrible thing. The way it started -- I really don't believe he wanted to do this initially, I think he wanted to do something and negotiate and it just got worse and worse.

"And then he saw the weakness -- and do you know when it really started? I think with the weakness in Afghanistan, the way [the Biden Administration] pulled out of Afghanistan. I really believe that's where [Putin] started thinking, you know, he could do this."

When asked about President Biden's monitoring of the developing situation, Trump said: "I don't think he's monitoring, I think he's probably sleeping right now. This is a terrible thing. This is something that should never have happened."

The White House has issued a statement in response to Russia's invasion, with Biden stating: "President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering."

"Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable," Biden added.

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President Donald Trump has been slammed online after he seemed to make an error when revealing where he is meeting Vladimir Putin.

Trump sparked confusion when he mistakenly said he would be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday.

The actual location for the much-anticipated summit is slated to be in Alaska, not Russia.

“I’m going to see Putin, I'm going to Russia on Friday. I don’t like being up here, talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful capital was,” Trump said during the press briefing on his crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C.

The unexpected comment immediately made waves online, with users quickly reacting.

One X (formerly Twitter) user quipped: “Wait, did he give Alaska back to Putin already?” while another responded: “He already handed Alaska over to Russia.”

Others were quick to wonder if the summit location had been changed or if the U.S. had officially ceded Alaska to Russia.

The upcoming meeting between the two leaders is poised to be the first direct engagement between a U.S. president and a Russian president since the Geneva summit between President Joe Biden and Putin in 2021.

The meeting would also come on the heels of a visit to Moscow by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting that would involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well.

While the location mix-up may have caused embarrassment for the former president, it did not overshadow his stern remarks about the state of crime in Washington, D.C., which he has been fiercely criticizing in recent days, per the Mirror.

In a series of recent posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump painted a grim picture of crime in the nation's capital, which he claims has spiraled out of control.

He blamed "local youths and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old," for the escalating violence, including random attacks and shootings of innocent citizens.

Trump also criticized the legal system, alleging that these young offenders are rarely held accountable.

"They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!" Trump declared, adding that the law in D.C. must be reformed to treat minors as adults in criminal cases.

In his posts, Trump also expressed his determination to restore Washington, D.C. to its former glory, describing it as "unsafe, dirty, and disgusting" and vowing to make the city "safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see."

He even suggested that if the city does not take immediate action, he would consider federalizing it to bring about the necessary changes. "If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City," Trump warned.

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