He always knew that - he was buttering them up and being overly nice to try to get them to the table. It didn’t work...really that kind of stuff doesn’t work with the Russians.
The most notable part is that yes, Trump tried to make nice with Putin to get him to end the war. That he failed is not his fault - it is the butcher Putin’s refusal to be reasonable. Trump is showing great wisdom and strength of character by changing tactics, which will be very painful for Putin and the Russian people. Again, this was not driven by any animus Trump has for Poopin, but by Poopin’s own poor decisions.