Trump hesitant to confront Putin over Ukraine
EU officials are reportedly concerned that US President Donald Trump is reluctant to pressure his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, over the Ukraine conflict, according to Politico.
Earlier this week, Trump said Putin is 'playing with fire' after Russia launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian military-related facilities. The attacks came in response to a sharp increase in Kiev's drone raids targeting civilian areas in Russia. Despite his tough rhetoric, Trump has so far held back from approving what Senator Lindsey Graham called 'bone-crushing' sanctions against Moscow.
In an article on Thursday, the outlet cited an unnamed EU official who said it is 'very clear there is something holding him [Trump] back from actually putting more pressure on Putin.'
'He may want the reset with Russia most of all, more than peace. If he just wants to get the war ended so he can do these deals [with Putin], then he may be weighing the cost of poisoning their potential relationship,' the source suggested.
Asked on Thursday if he still believes that Putin is interested in finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, Trump said: 'I will let you know in about two weeks. We are going to find out whether or not he is tapping us along or not. And if he is, we will respond a little bit differently.'
According to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, Trump is waiting for the outcome of potential talks between delegations from Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul on Monday.
On Thursday, Moscow's envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, reiterated Russia's readiness to continue 'serious direct negotiations' with Kiev in order to find a solution to the Ukraine conflict that addresses the root causes.
He warned, however, that if Ukraine 'tries to prolong the war… neither new anti-Russian sanctions, nor arms supplies to Ukraine, nor other hostile steps vis-a-vis Russia will be able to prevent the inevitable military defeat of the [Vladimir] Zelensky regime.'
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