Trump mulls stepping back from Ukraine war talks over lack of flexibility on both sides - Axios
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is considering stepping away from talks on Russia's war against Ukraine. He reportedly wants both sides to show more "flexibility," Axios reports.
A senior White House official told Axios that Trump is seriously weighing a pause in diplomatic efforts until "one or both parties begin to show more flexibility."
"We are going to sit back and watch. Let them fight it out for a while and see what happens," the official added.
Sources say the White House believes European leaders are encouraging Ukraine to hold out for a "better deal." At the same time, American officials note that British and French counterparts are taking a more constructive approach. They complain, however, that other major European countries expect the US to bear the full cost of the war while contributing little themselves.
A senior European official involved in talks with the US on the Ukraine war expressed surprise at the criticism coming from Washington.
Negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine war
On August 18, President Trump said that after speaking with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he had begun preparing for a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Putin had expressed willingness to attend the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, however, stressed that such talks need to be prepared very carefully.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has maintained that Russia is the main obstacle to holding the meeting.
