Trump sets condition for new meeting with Putin
Photo: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said he is ready to meet again with Vladimir Putin, but only if he is confident that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine can be reached, according to the White House broadcast.
Recently, Trump canceled his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest. According to media reports, the decision came after the Kremlin refused to change its stance on ending the war in Ukraine, while the US president himself said he did not want to meet "for nothing."
Today, journalists asked Trump what Russia would have to do for him to agree to hold a summit. In response, the US president said that a meeting would only happen if there were real prospects for a peace deal.
"We have to be sure that we’re going to make a deal. I’m not going to waste my time. I’ve always had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing," Trump said.
He added that he had expected the war in Ukraine to end before peace was reached in the Middle East, referring specifically to the situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"That was very tough. In fact, Putin told me on the phone, 'Boy, that was amazing - everyone tried to get that done, and they couldn’t. You got it done.' There were others, too, if you look at India and Pakistan, I could say that almost any of the deals I’ve already made seemed harder than Russia and Ukraine. But it didn’t work out that way," the US leader said.
Trump also reiterated that there is "deep hatred" between the two countries, particularly between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
US pressure on Russia to make peace
Next week, President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The White House said Trump plans to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and hopes that Beijing will influence Moscow.
Meanwhile, on the night of October 23, the United States announced sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, along with 36 subsidiaries.
In its statement, the US Treasury Department urged Russia to immediately agree to a ceasefire.
Additionally, Reuters reported that Washington has prepared new anti-Russian sanctions in case Putin continues to delay ending the war, but the US is waiting for Europe to take the next step first.
