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2 minutes ago
Key takeaways from Trump and Zelenskyy's Oval Office meeting to discuss Ukraine
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded positive as they met at the White House on Monday as Trump pushes for an end to Russia's war on Kyiv. Zelenskyy is joined in Washington by a sweeping delegation of European leaders who rushed to the U.S. in support of the Ukrainian leader after being left out of talks between Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday. The last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office was February, when he received a verbal lashing from President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused him of not being grateful enough for U.S. military assistance. Monday's sit-down was a much more cordial affair, with Trump and Zelenskyy sharing smiles and Zelenskyy thanking the president for his personal efforts to bring this conflict to a close. Here are some key takeaways from the high-stakes meeting. Trump says US will give Ukraine 'very good protection' President Trump on Monday said the United States will be involved in security assistance for Ukraine -- a key condition for Zelenskyy in any deal to end the war -- but did not elaborate on what exactly that would look like or give any specifics. "We're going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security. That's part of it," Trump said. The president declined to go as far as Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, who told CNN that Russia agreed to "Article 5-like" protections for Ukraine during Friday's summit. Article 5 is the agreement of collective defense among NATO nations stating an attack against one member is considered an attack against them all. "We'll let you know that maybe later today," Trump said. "We're meeting with seven great leaders of great countries also, and we'll be talking about that. They'll all be involved, but there'll be a lot of -- there'll be a lot of help when it comes to security." "They are first line of defense because they're there," Trump said of Europe before adding, "But we're going to help them. And also we'll be involved." Trump walks back ceasefire demand After previously pushing for a ceasefire and threatening severe consequences for Russia if Putin did not stop the war, President Trump appeared to back off that demand. "I don't think you need a ceasefire," he said when asked about whether his previous call for a ceasefire had changed. "I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically, like, well, you know, one country or the other wouldn't want it." He continued that he likes "the concept of a ceasefire for one reason, because you'd stop killing people immediately." Trump pushes for trilateral meeting Trump repeatedly expressed optimism that, "We're gonna have a lasting peace." Trump also continued to push for a trilateral meeting between himself, Zelenskyy and Putin -- something he had hoped to set up immediately following his summit with Putin on Friday but was unsuccessful. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "ready" for a trilateral discussion. Asked if this is the end of the road for U.S. support for Ukraine if there is no deal made, Trump said, "It's never the end of the road." "People are being killed, and we want to stop that. So, I would not say it's the end of the road. No, I think we have a good chance of doing it," Trump said. Trump says he will speak with Putin after meetings Trump said he will call Putin after his meetings Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. "We're going to have a phone call right after these meetings today, and we may or may not have a trilat. And if we don't have a trilat, then the fighting continues. And if we do, we have a good chance -- I think if we have a trilat that there's a good chance of maybe ending it," Trump said. "But he's expecting my call when we're finished with this meeting," Trump added of Putin.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Hamas Said to Agree to Gaza Truce Deal Proposed by Egypt, Qatar
Hamas has agreed to a deal to pause the militant group's war with Israel in Gaza, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation, fueling optimism that a long-awaited breakthrough in negotiations could be close. The proposal would see Hamas release half of the hostages it still holds from the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict, one diplomat briefed on the negotiations said, in return for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Analysis: Trump's empty threats on Russia sanctions
For years, Donald Trump criticized presidents for empty threats. He often pointed to then-President Barack Obama failing to enforce his 'red line' on Syria using chemical weapons. During his first term in 2017, Trump called it a 'blank threat' that cost us 'in many other parts of the world.' When Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, he intoned: 'Today's action sends a critical message: The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them.' When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Trump decried the Biden administration for letting Vladimir Putin off 'with no repercussions whatsoever.' But Monday, as Trump prepares to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a host of European leaders, his own threats to sanction Russia are looking pretty empty. The president last month issued a tight new deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal or face supposedly crippling economic punishment. That deadline passed 10 days ago with no new sanctions on Moscow, although he did announce higher tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, set to go into effect later this month. And on the day of his sanctions deadline, Trump instead announced he'd be meeting with Putin, which he did on Friday in Alaska. But to the extent we know anything that came of that summit, it seems to be that Trump has not only backed off on his sanctions threat – at least for now – but he's also backed off on his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He instead wants a full peace deal now – which could take much longer to hash out and could buy Putin time, with little to no public evidence that the Russian president is serious about peace. There is something to be said for being nimble in foreign policy and adjusting to new inputs. But there's also something to be said for making threats that you intend to back up. And Trump's commentary here has been clear. For months now, he's said sanctions were right around the corner. 'If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,' Trump said on social media on January 22. Nearly seven months later, 'soon' apparently still hasn't arrived. When asked in May about a package of Russia sanctions that has widespread support in the Senate, Trump told Fox News it was 'turkey time.' 'That would be crushing for Russia, because they're having a hard time now with the economy,' Trump said. 'Turkey time' was three months ago. Russia still hasn't been crushed. By July, Trump got more explicit with his timeframe. He initially said Russia had 50 days to cut a deal or face sanctions and 'secondary tariffs.' Two weeks later, he tightened that to 10-12 days and then 10 days, with a deadline of August 8. 'So, what I'm doing is we're going to do secondary sanctions unless we make a deal,' Trump said. The planned meeting with Putin appeared to forestall that deadline, at least temporarily. But Trump assured it was a new deadline. Asked last Wednesday what would happen if Putin didn't agree to stop the war after the Alaska meeting, Trump said: 'There will be very severe consequences.' The Russian leader hasn't agreed to stop the war, and the very severe consequences haven't arrived yet. The situation is dynamic, particularly with Monday's meetings at the White House. But the administration appears to be inching back from its threats. Asked about the sanctions Friday night on Fox News, Trump responded: 'We don't have to think about that right now.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday actually pitched sanctions as an impediment to a potential peace deal. Appearing on multiple shows, he suggested the administration would wait until there was no hope of peace. 'The minute you issue new sanctions … our ability to get them to table will be severely diminished,' Rubio said of Russia on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' He added on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' 'You've basically locked in at least another year to year-and-a-half of war and death and destruction. We may unfortunately wind up there, but we don't want to wind up there.' While Trump has called economic punishment 'very devastating,' his administration has also recently rather curiously focused on the idea that sanctions on Russia might not even be that effective – noting Putin has dealt with them for years. In other words, it sounds a lot like they're laying a predicate for not following through on these threats any time soon. If that's the case, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise. Trump has a tendency to set deadlines for himself that ultimately fall by the wayside. 'Two weeks' has become an inside joke in DC political circles, owing to the many times the president has promised a decision or announcement and never followed through. Even when Trump announced the 10-day deadline for Russia, I wrote about how we probably shouldn't take it at face value. But as a former version of Trump would seem to agree, major foreign-policy threats are in a different class than promising a policy or personnel decision. Trump got extensive political mileage out of savaging Obama for his red line on Syria, because the stakes were so huge. He pitched the Democratic president as too timid to make good on the threat. The question now is whether Trump is doing the same with Putin. Maybe Trump has reason to believe there are serious prospects for a peace deal that warrant this pause. But Trump has certainly shown a reluctance to truly get tough with the Russian leader before. And some more hawkish Republicans are urging Trump to keep up the pressure. Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures' that Trump can end the war, while re-upping the importance of the threat of sanctions. And perhaps tellingly, he said it required getting 'tough.' 'I'm cautiously optimistic we'll get there, if we're tough,' the South Carolina Republican said. Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, said it was time for the Senate to pass Graham's sanctions bill. 'I know his style in dealing with these dictators; it's the velvet glove,' Pence told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.' 'But I think the hammer needs to come, and it needs to come immediately.' The hammer appears to have been holstered for now. And you could understand if these Republicans worry that Trump's harder line on Putin has been, too.
