Trump is distancing himself from Putin, German chancellor says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that US President Donald Trump is gradually distancing himself from Russian Prresident Vladimir Putin. At the same time, he emphasized that economic sanctions against Russia remain a topic of debate in the United States, despite broad approval in Europe.

"The US President is showing increasing skepticism and becoming more critical. It's a process. In Europe, there is a broad consensus on how to assess this war. I believe President Trump is moving closer to that view," Merz said.

When asked whether Trump could be influenced by appealing to his sense of historical responsibility, Merz responded that tougher sanctions must be the key pressure mechanism on Putin.

"Wars usually end either in military defeat or economic exhaustion. A military defeat of either side currently seems unlikely, but both Russia and Ukraine are capable of enduring economically for a long time. In the end, there is only one question left: can tougher sanctions be applied to bring Putin to the negotiating table?" he remarked.

At the same time, the chancellor explained that Trump is blocking some of the sanctions because "they also hurt his economy."

"The sanctions hurt his economy too. But the US Senate is now actively discussing new sanctions, with the final say resting with the president. I'm doing everything I can to ensure the European Union and the United States impose tougher sanctions together," the German chancellor explained.

He also commented on the prospect of confiscating frozen Russian assets in Europe.

"We need to discuss this issue openly. But there are two difficult aspects: would such a move be legally permissible? And how would capital markets — which value stability—react?" the German leader noted.

Despite this, Merz expressed confidence that the confiscated funds should eventually be used for Ukraine's reconstruction.

"These funds, of course, will have to be used to rebuild Ukraine — but we're still a long way from that point," he said.

In recent days, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Europe's calls for tougher sanctions against Russia. This came as a surprise to NATO foreign ministers, who had discussed a different approach with him just the day before.

However, this is not the first time that signs of a shift in US rhetoric toward Putin have emerged.

Recently, Ukrainian political strategist Taras Zahorodnii noted that the United States is avoiding contact with the Kremlin, and that President Donald Trump — despite Moscow's expectations — no longer shows a willingness to engage in dialogue.