US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration's efforts to reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine are “hopefully underway” and that he would like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.
In a long-awaited speech via video link to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said: “I would really like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to end that war, and that's not from an economic standpoint or anything else.” Otherwise from his point of view millions of lives would be lost.”
In December, Trump Putin said that She expressed her desire to meet him.
Without providing details, Trump also said Thursday: “We hope that our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now underway. It is very important that we achieve that.”
It is in the meantime He pointed out that the rise in oil prices was a reason for the warThe producer group called on OPEC to reduce prices.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened to impose “high levels” of sanctions and tariffs on Russia if it did not “make a deal” to end its war against Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised his approach in an interview at the World Economic Forum earlier on Thursday. Rutte told CNBC he was “very happy” with Trump's threat of sanctions. Likewise, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof agreed with the president's comments, telling CNBC that such sanctions would serve as “good pressure on Russia to act.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a more skeptical tone during his speech on Tuesday in Davos, asking whether Trump would “take notice of Europe” during his presidency. Attend the event to promote the city of Kyiv A set of peace proposals As the war approaches its third anniversary, Zelensky also suggested that Trump could look past Europe to mediate Ukrainian peace talks by working with Russia and China.
Washington has previously issued sanctions on Russia, targeting areas including Charging and poweralong with Individuals who are believed to support the war effort. The United States has also provided to a large extent The largest financial assistance To Ukraine from any country, including billions in military aid.
US funding for Kiev has become increasingly politically controversial, as former US President Joe Biden struggles to pass a foreign aid bill including $60 billion to support Ukraine in April 2024. Trump's re-election in November raised questions about the future of the war, including whether Europe has and will increase its contributions to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Rutte told CNBC that Europe must also “tighten” its sanctions in order to “stifle the Russian economy.”
