Trump admits Putin believes he is winning in Ukraine conflict
Donald Trump revealed that Vladimir Putin does not intend to end the war in Ukraine because he is convinced of his victory. This surprising admission was reportedly made during a phone call with European leaders.
What do you need to know?
- Donald Trump admitted during a call with European leaders that Vladimir Putin is not ready to end the war in Ukraine because he believes he is winning.
- Despite previous announcements, Trump did not agree to impose new sanctions against Russia, which disappointed European leaders.
- European leaders are concerned that support for Ukraine will have to come mainly from Europe because the Trump administration does not plan to halt U.S. arms exports.
Why won't Putin end the war?
During a phone call with European leaders, Donald Trump admitted that Vladimir Putin does not intend to end the war in Ukraine because he is convinced of his victory, reports "The Wall Street Journal," citing three people familiar with the matter.
This admission surprised European leaders, who heard such words from Trump for the first time. These statements confirmed what European leaders had long suspected about Putin, but they heard it for the first time from Trump. Trump's revealed words contradict his public statements, where he repeatedly assured that Putin sincerely desires peace.
Despite previous declarations about the possibility of imposing sanctions, Trump did not decide to take such a step.
Will the US impose new sanctions?
During an earlier conversation with European leaders, Trump suggested the possibility of imposing sanctions against the Russian energy and financial sectors. However, the very next day he withdrew from this idea, expressing less interest in the U.S. participating in this process.
European leaders pressed for an unconditional ceasefire, but Trump did not agree to use the term "unconditional," even though he had previously used it in social media.
A completely different account of Trump
As reported earlier, Donald Trump, during a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, informed them that he asked Vladimir Putin to offer them something in negotiations they could agree to.
Donald Trump publicly declared that his conversation with Vladimir Putin went very well, and that Russia and Ukraine would immediately start negotiations on a ceasefire.
A source from the Axios portal also claimed that later in the conversation, the U.S. President announced that Putin agreed to immediately start direct negotiations on a ceasefire. There were a few seconds of surprising silence. The President also suggested that Putin would present a "peace memorandum" with conditions to end the conflict. "This is something Ukraine and Europeans can agree on," Trump reportedly said.
