Donald Trump showed "signs of frustration" and lost his usual "cool and robust" composure during his rant about Vladimir Putin, a body language expert has claimed.
Speaking to journalists onboard Air Force One, the President claimed "nothing will happen" in terms of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia until he's met with Putin.
The comments came after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in more than three years.
Body language expert Darren Stanton, speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, noted that Trump's speech pattern was "a lot quicker than normal, which demonstrates an internal emotion of frustration and anger."
Trump has reportedly been frustrated over the stalling in negotiations
Reuters
"We also saw his eyebrows come together and pull down slightly, and then at the end of the clip, he raises his eyebrows. That's all linked to frustration," Stanton explained.
"He seems a bit fed up. He keeps reiterating that Putin isn't going to turn up unless he's there, like he's the main man who is going to solve all the issues."
The talks in Istanbul lasted less than two hours, with Russia expressing satisfaction and both sides agreeing to trade 1,000 prisoners of war each.
However, a Ukrainian source told Reuters that Russia's demands were "detached from reality" and included "non-starters" such as Ukraine withdrawing from parts of its own territory.
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Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Keir StarmerReuters
Macron and Zelensky
Reuters
Sir Keir Starmer described the Russian position as "clearly unacceptable", while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was working on a new package of sanctions against Moscow.
Trump had previously stated that "nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together," while wrapping up his Gulf tour.
The US President has been putting pressure on both Ukraine and Russia to end what has been described as the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced this position, saying that a breakthrough in efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine would only happen through direct talks between Trump and Putin.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Trump while in Albania for a meeting with Ukraine's President and European leaders. He reported that Putin was refusing to respond to ceasefire proposals.
"By rejecting the ceasefire and dialogue with Ukraine, Russia shows it does not want peace and is merely trying to buy time by continuing the war," Macron wrote on X.
Volodymyr ZelenskyREUTERS
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
ReutersUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said robust sanctions should follow if Russia rejected a ceasefire.
The Kremlin acknowledged the importance of a Putin-Trump summit, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: "There is no doubt that contacts between President Putin and Trump are important in the context of the Ukrainian negotiations."
However, Peskov stressed that such a meeting needed "considerable advance preparation" to ensure success and must be "results-oriented".
He added that a summit was necessary both for bilateral relations and for "having a serious conversation at the highest level about international affairs and on regional problems, including, of course, about the crisis around Ukraine".
