Former U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from retaliating for attacks that occurred in Ukraine on June 1. Trump acknowledged understanding Putin’s perspective on the matter.

In a recent conversation, Putin conveyed to Trump that Russia felt it “has no choice” but to respond to prior attacks by Kyiv.

Trump stated that he doesn’t believe Putin is “playing games,” acknowledging that Russia “was hit hard” by the attacks and understands Russia’s position.

The attacks Trump referenced occurred on the night of May 31 to June 1, involving explosions targeting bridges in the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia. One of the bridges was a road bridge and fell on the railway tracks, along which a passenger train was traveling at that time. In the second case, a railway bridge was blown up, along which a freight train was moving.

Additionally, on June 1, Ukraine reportedly attacked military airfields in multiple regions of Russia, including the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions.

When questioned about potential sanctions, Trump indicated a willingness to consider them if a deal could not be reached to stop the conflict, but also noted that sanctions could potentially impact both countries involved.