Donald Trump Sopesa new sanctions against Vladimir Putin after detecting signs that Russia does not want to end the war in Ukraine. The president of the United States, back from Rome after attending Pope Francis’s funeral and briefly meet with the Ukrainian … Volodimir Zelenski, expressed skepticism for the first time about the possibility of reaching an immediate peace agreement.
«There was no reason for Putin to be throwing missiles against civil, cities and towns, in recent days. It makes me think that perhaps he does not want to stop war, which is only giving me long, and that he will have to be treated otherwise, perhaps through banking or secondary sanctions, ”Trump wrote on his social networks. “Too many people are dying.”
The turn in his speech is remarkable. Only one day before, Trump had stated in the White House that Ukraine and Russia were “very close to an agreement” and had called to maintain “high -level negotiations.” The hardening of his position comes after his encounter with Zelenski in the Vatican, a brief face of fifteen minutes held before the funeral, and after the last Russian bombings that caused several civil victims in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv.
Trump, who for months had avoided attacking Putin directly, had focused his criticisms on the management of Joe Biden and the Ukrainian demands of recovering territories such as Crimea. In fact, in a recent interview with Time magazine, Trump had suggested that Crimea “would remain with Russia”, describing Zelenski’s demands as “unrealistic”.
He even criticized Zelenski saying in networks that “if I wanted Crimea, why he didn’t fight for her.” (The Peninsula was invaded in 2014, Zelenski has been president since 2018). The intensification of Russian attacks in recent days seems to have altered Trump’s interpretation of the conflict.
-Trump and Zelenski spoke for a few minutes during Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican
EFE
Productive meeting
The meeting between Trump and Zelenski, although brief, was qualified by both sides as “very productive.” According to Ukrainian sources, the need to achieve a total and immediate fire and to move towards a “reliable and durable peace agreement” was discussed. Zelenski himself described the “very symbolic” encounter and said it could “become historical” if specific results are achieved. The face to face was provided by the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer.
Trump, on the other hand, left the door open to harden the measures against Moscow. Until now, his team of advisors had advocated negotiating with Russia from a position of force, but avoiding climbing the conflict. The message posted on board the Air Force One, while returning to the United States, marks a change in that strategy.
Putin, who did not go to the Pope’s funeral to avoid possible detention by an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, has intensified his attacks on Ukraine in parallel to diplomatic contacts. The White House described the conversation between Trump and Zelenski as “very substantive” and anticipated that new agreements could be announced in the next few days.
