Old Trump post about Putin call spreads online after Russian strike on Ukrainian train

In late January 2026, social media users shared a screenshot of a purported post from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account about a recent call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which they discussed Ukrainian strikes on Russia. The post spread after a Russian drone strike killed five passengers on a train in Ukraine.

The screenshot spread on X and Facebook. Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who shared the screenshot, wrote: “Putin just attacked and murdered civilians on a train. Yet Trump is mad Ukraine hit military planes.”

(X user @AdamKinzinger)

The screenshot did show an authentic Truth Social post by Trump (which he deleted and reposted) — but the post was from June 2025. The above post was not published in 2026 after the Russian drone struck a passenger train in Ukraine. As such, we rate this claim as miscaptioned.

As Snopes reported in June 2025, Trump made the following statement on Truth Social and subsequently deleted it. Around an hour after deleting the post, he posted it again:

I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields. We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly! I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement. President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!

We found evidence of the deleted post on Trump’s Truth and Roll Call, which have dedicated archives of Trump’s Truth Social account. We found archived links to his now-deleted post, which he shared on June 4, 2025, at 12:40 p.m. EDT. Around an hour after deleting the original post, Trump reposted (archived) the same statement.

The 2025 post about Trump and Putin’s call occurred after Ukraine carried out a drone attack on Russian airfields and destroyed warplanes on June 1.

Screenshots of the old Truth Social post reemerged on Jan. 28, 2026, after a Russian drone strike hit a Ukrainian passenger train, killing five people. On Jan. 29, Trump said he spoke to Putin, who agreed to halt Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities for one week because of the cold winter. (Russian strikes have left many Ukrainians without power in their homes amid freezing temperatures.) The Kremlin confirmed that Trump had asked Putin to halt strikes until Feb. 1, but did not share Putin’s response.

Trump said during a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting: “Because of the cold, extreme cold […] I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week and he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you it was very nice.” 

The old post circulating in January 2026 also mentioned Iran and nuclear weapons. On Jan. 28, Trump did post on Truth Social about a U.S. “armada” with an aircraft carrier heading toward Iran, claiming that if Iran did not “come to the table” the U.S. would attack. Trump also referenced “Operation Midnight Hammer” from late June 2025 when the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities:

A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. 

Trump’s social media accounts and statements have been the frequent subject of misinformation during the Russia-Ukraine war. We have previously reported on the false claim that Trump called on Ukraine to compensate Russia for destroying its aircraft. 

Sources