Trump Issues Stark Warning to Russia Ahead of Putin Summit
President Donald Trump warned that "severe consequences" lie ahead for Russia if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to stop the Ukraine war after they meet for a high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday.
Responding to a question from a reporter after announcing this year's recipients for the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., Trump said "there will be very severe consequences" and that "he doesn't have to" specify what, should Russia not move toward a cease-fire.
Trump was then asked if he believes he can "convince" Putin to "stop targeting civilians in Ukraine," to which he replied: "I've had a lot of good conversations with him [Putin], but then I go home and see that a rocket hit a nursing home [or an apartment building] and people are laying dead in the street, so I guess the answer to that is 'no.'"
The U.S. President went on to add that he wants to "end the war" and will be "very proud" to end it.
Trump's remarks came shortly after he shared an 'exceptionally constructive and good conversation' with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders on Wednesday, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Debriefing the press after the call, for which Trump dialled in virtually and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was also on the line, Merz suggested 'there is hope that something is moving,' ahead of the Putin summit.
Read More: Zelensky on Trump, Putin, and the Endgame in Ukraine
Zelensky, meanwhile, warned Trump that Putin is 'bluffing' about being open to a cease-fire and lasting peace.
French President Emmanuel Macron divulged that while the group discussed a potential exchange of land, 'as of today, there are no serious territorial exchange plans on the table.' Zelensky and Merz both reiterated the need for a cease-fire and strong Ukrainian security guarantees before any negotiations take place.
Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, shared a positive outlook following the conversation.
'Great call with [Trump], Zelensky, and European leaders ahead of President Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska. We are united in pushing to end this terrible war… and achieve just and lasting peace,' Rutte said via social media. 'Appreciate Trump's leadership and close coordination with allies. The ball is now in Putin's court.'
Shortly after the call, Vance spoke to U.S. soldiers at a military base in England, where he is currently on a trip with his family.
'We are going to make it our mission as an Administration to bring peace to Europe once again,' Vance said.
Zelensky touched down in Berlin early Wednesday to meet with Merz and others ahead of the all-important conversation with Trump. The opportunity served as Zelensky's chance to make a final case to the U.S. President before he meets with Putin.
Trump referred to the European leaders as 'great people who want to see a deal done,' in a Truth Social post early Wednesday.
After the conversation, Zelensky said that Trump struck down the idea that Russia could veto Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations and reiterated calls for possible economic penalties on Russia—which the U.S. President has repeatedly promised to enact—should a cease-fire deal not be reached.
Trump has also agreed to first inform Zelensky, then the key European leaders, of any updates following his conversation with Putin, according to Merz.
Meanwhile, Trump previously stated that a lasting cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war, which was triggered when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, could only come through the exchange of territories 'for the betterment of both.' Zelensky, backed by his European allies, staunchly denounced that idea, stating that Ukraine will not 'gift their land to the occupier.'
The Ukrainian leader doubled down on his position on Wednesday, saying: 'I stress that any questions concerning our country's territorial integrity cannot be discussed without regard for our people, for the will of our people and the Ukrainian constitution.'
World leaders, such as France's Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, had previously urged Trump to consider inviting Ukraine to the Putin summit while reiterating their support for the eastern European nation.
'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,' the leaders of France, Italy, the U.K., Germany, Poland, and Finland said in a statement on Saturday. 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.'
Russian troops advanced deeper into Ukraine on Tuesday, in what some have viewed as a bid to pressure Kyiv into considering Putin's demands for more territory. 'We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations,' Zelensky said.
Furthermore, ahead of his call with Zelensky and others on Wednesday, Trump strongly criticized what he claimed has been 'very unfair' media coverage of his upcoming talk with Putin.
'Very unfair media is at work on my meeting with Putin. Constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people,' Trump said via Truth Social, before referencing recent comments made by his former national security adviser John Bolton, who asserted that 'Putin has already won,' in an interview with The Atlantic.
'What's that all about? We are winning on EVERYTHING. The fake news is working overtime. (No tax on overtime),' Trump maintained.
Read More: World Leaders React to Zelensky and Trump's Oval Office Showdown
Amid much discussion over the Trump-Putin summit and what, if any, progress can be made, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has seemingly downplayed expectations.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, she said the meeting will serve as a 'listening exercise' for Trump, in order for him to get a 'better understanding' of how to end the war in Ukraine.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Some workers would be excluded from student loan forgiveness program for 'illegal' activity
WASHINGTON (AP) — Teachers, social workers, nurses and other public workers would be cut off from a popular student loan cancellation program if the Trump administration finds their employer engaged in activities with a 'substantial illegal purpose,' under a new federal proposal released on Friday. The Education Department took aim at nonprofits or government bodies that work with immigrants and transgender youth, releasing plans to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Opponents fear the new policy would turn the loan forgiveness benefit into a tool of political retribution. The proposal would give the education secretary the final say in deciding whether a group or government entity should be excluded from the program, which was created by Congress in 2007 to encourage more college graduates to enter lower-paying public service fields. The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or 'chemical castration' of children, illegal immigration and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. 'Chemical castration' is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens. President Donald Trump ordered the changes in March, saying the loan forgiveness program was steering taxpayer money to 'activist organizations' that pose a threat to national security and do not serve the public. The public will be given 30 days to weigh in on the proposal before it can be finalized. Any changes would take effect in July 2026. Under current rules, government employees and many nonprofit workers can get their federal student loans canceled after they've made 10 years of payments. The program is open to government workers, including teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals, along with nonprofits that focus on certain areas. The new proposal would exclude employees of any organization tied to an activity deemed illegal. The Education Department predicts that fewer than 10 organizations would be deemed ineligible per year. It doesn't expect a 'significant reduction' in the percentage of borrowers who would be granted forgiveness under the program, according to the proposal. Yet the agency acknowledges that not all industries would be affected evenly. Schools, universities, health care providers, social workers and legal services organizations are among those most likely to have their eligibility jeopardized, the department wrote. It did not give more specifics about what 'illegal' actions those groups were taking that could bar them from the program. But the proposal suggests that performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it would be enough. If a state or federal court rules against an employer, that could lead to its expulsion from the program, or if the employer is involved in a legal settlement that includes an admission of wrongdoing. Even without a legal finding, however, the education secretary could determine independently that an organization should be ejected. The secretary could judge whether an organization participated in illegal activity by using a legal standard known as the 'preponderance of the evidence' — meaning it's more likely than not that an accusation is true. Once an organization is barred from the program, its workers' future loan payments would no longer count toward cancellation. They would have to find work at another eligible employer to keep making progress toward forgiveness. A ban from the Education Department would last 10 years or until the employer completed a 'corrective action plan' approved by the secretary. Critics blasted the proposal as an illegal attempt to weaponize student loan cancellation. Kristin McGuire, CEO of the nonprofit Young Invincibles, which advocates for loan forgiveness, called it a political stunt designed to confuse borrowers. 'By using a distorted and overly broad definition of 'illegal activities,' the Trump administration is exploiting the student loan system to attack political opponents,' McGuire said in a statement. The Education Department sketched out its plans for the overhaul during a federal rulemaking process that began in June. The agency gathered a panel of experts to help hash out the details — a process known as negotiated rulemaking. But the panel failed to reach a consensus, which freed the department to move forward with a proposal of its own design. The proposal released on Friday included some changes meant to ease concerns raised by the expert panel. Some had worried the department would ban organizations merely for supporting transgender rights, even if they have no direct involvement in gender-affirming care. The new proposal clarifies that the secretary would not expel organizations for exercising their First Amendment rights. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Russian reporters whine about conditions at Trump-Putin summit — but Moscow may be to blame
Russian reporters are whining about having to sleep on cots and being served old tuna for breakfast while covering the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska — but their own country may actually be to blame. The Kremlin journalists griped that they've had to rough it on portable beds with no sheets set up at the Alaska Airlines Center sports arena in Anchorage, where they were hardly able to make phone calls. They — gasp — even had to get by without bottled water. Advertisement 4 Russian journalists from the Kremlin press pool, arriving in Alaska, were housed in a stadium converted into a temporary accommodation center, with single bunks separated by curtains. x/DD_Geopolitics 'After being assigned for [Thursday] night to what appeared to be a disaster evacuation zone, Russian journalists were being treated to breakfast of tuna mayo left out overnight, some chips, and an unlimited supply of water (from a drinking fountain),'' wrote an irked Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the Russian state-run outlet RT. But critics said Russia is at least partly to blame for what its scribes consider practically Third World conditions. Advertisement 4 Workers set up a sign in front of Air Force One for the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Getty Images The country flew roughly 50 of its own 'reporters' over to supposedly cover the event, and it's lucky so many of them got into the US at all, considering the nation's intelligence services regularly send spies to work as 'journalists,'' a security source told The Post. There wasn't much time to vet them or get enough accommodations for quickly planned summit, the source noted. Many US reporters didn't get hotel rooms in the small capital city of roughly 290,000, either. Advertisement 4 Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Magadan region's Governor Sergei Nosov as he visits the far eastern port city of Magadan on the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia. via REUTERS On Friday, footage showed members of the Russian media receiving stepped-up food including breakfast sandwiches, packaged snacks and beverages at the arena, which hosts basketball games on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. 'Americans finally provide journalists with proper food,' declared the X account Alaska Summit News First. But in some corners, the Russian journos are in no position to complain about the US. Advertisement 4 Russia flew out 50 people to cover the Trump-Putin Alaska summit. Diana Nerozzi / NYPost 'Sanctions mean roaming doesn't really work, so they are stuck on WiFi, and Russia blocked most calls on WhatsApp and telegram the other day,'' wrote Financial Times' Moscow Bureau Chief Max Seddon on X. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Another X user wrote, 'So, better treatment than Ukrainians in the occupied territories. 'You have access to running water, something people in occupied Donetsk don't have.
New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Trump's DC crime crackdown is saving the city — and its lawless kids
President Donald Trump's Washington, DC, police takeover is proving once and for all that our cities must give up their soft-on-crime policies — and display more compassion for victims than for criminals. Even if the criminals are kids. In a backward effort to promote 'equity,' progressive lawmakers in Washington and elsewhere have relieved teens of consequences for almost any crime they may commit. Advertisement But all it's done is tell lawbreakers they won't be held accountable for their antisocial actions. By sending in the National Guard, Trump is bringing common sense back to crime fighting and consequences back for those who commit crimes, including minors. It their parents aren't going to make teens control their impulses, law enforcement must. President Donald Trump's Washington, DC, police takeover is proving once and for all that our cities must give up their soft-on-crime policies — and display more compassion for victims than for criminals. Gripas Yuri/ABACA/Shutterstock Advertisement The same progressives who insist every child in America should be free to have an abortion or change their sex have nothing to say to the kids who need them most: urban teens falling into lives of crime and mayhem. It's neither caring nor kind to let kids run wild with no guidance, no guardrails, and few consequences to deter damaging behavior. 'A family court rehabilitation program of yoga and ice cream socials for hardened repeat offenders just doesn't cut it,' US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday. She called for an end to local laws that threw out mandatory minimum sentences for young offenders and otherwise coddle them. Advertisement In DC, 56% of all carjackings since 2023 were committed by juveniles, some as young as 12. That's had deadly consequences: In 2021, two girls aged 13 and 15 murdered a DC Uber driver during a carjacking. They were offered plea deals. Teens run wild through DC's Navy Yard, which set a juvenile curfew after a boy shot a stolen gun at a group of other kids. The MPD claims that crime is decreasing in DC, as do leftist pundits who just want to see Trump's policies fail — but in Navy Yard, violent crime is up, along with homicide, robbery and car theft. Advertisement Meanwhile in New York City, juveniles are committing increasing numbers of robberies, assaults and shootings — and other minors are often the victims. NYC saw an increase in arrests of minors for those offenses in 2024, as well as record highs of minor victims: 6,600 assaults and 1,500 robberies — while the state's Raise the Age laws shielded the young perpetrators from criminal prosecution. Is it equitable to allow teens to commit violent crimes against each other without punishment? Pirro is right: Kids who commit serious crimes must be taken seriously. The only way to protect society from their dangerous actions is to hold them accountable. We used to know this. Children and teens need limits. They need to know adults are paying attention to them and setting boundaries on their recklessness. We do teens no favors by letting them believe feral behavior can be tolerated — and we imperil society by letting these ruffians run riot in our cities. Advertisement Trump is making it clear he won't stand for it, taking federal control of DC's Metro Police Department and adding 800 National Guard troops and 500 federal law enforcement agents to beef up patrols. Safety is addictive. America's most prominent cities have bought into terrible policies that go easy on young criminals, and the kids know it. Advertisement Why do our cities care more about protecting wrongdoers from consequences than about protecting the rest of us? Keyboard warriors are complaining that Trump's MPD takeover is nothing but 'political theater,' that DC's sky-high homicide rate — 27.3 per 100,000 residents in 2024, fourth highest in the nation — isn't as bad as it was the year before. They seem to think if DC isn't literally exploding like Fallujah everything's totally fine. Trump knows the nation's capital must be a showplace, a testament to our role in world affairs and our global dominance. Advertisement Democratic Party leaders don't seem to care at all about that, or about the sad state of our murderous youth. They have abandoned them by implementing policies that stop them from taking responsibility for their actions — or even realizing that they should. If the law won't hold them to account, if their parents won't guide them, if kids keep hearing that their circumstances and not their choices are to blame for their bad behavior, then a leader must step in and take charge. Advertisement Trump is acting to save America's youth from themselves — and in doing so, he'll save America's cities, too. Libby Emmons is the editor-in-chief at the Post Millennial.
