Trump sets Russia-Deadline: White House Plant Summit with Putin

Trump sets Russia-Deadline: White House Plant Summit with Putin

President Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine or risk economic punishments, ends on Friday. However, it remains unclear how Trump wants to continue in the middle of new efforts to meet a summit with Vladimir Putin and sensitive trade negotiations with China.

Trump's threat of sanctions

Donald Trump announced at the beginning of the week to impose new sanctions against Russia, even though he questioned the effectiveness of these measures. The White House confirmed on Wednesday that it continues to intend to impose "secondary sanctions" against countries that buy Russian energy.

uncertainty about the process

to Thursday, when Trump initiated the preparations for a personal meeting with Putin, he became less binding. "It is up to him," said Trump when he was asked whether the deadline still applies and whether the new measures are actually implemented. The challenges of imposing new sanctions against Moscow and preparing possible discussions with Putin at the same time underline the uncertain location in the Ukraine conflict.

Trump's mixed feelings towards Putin

Trump has concerns about being a game ball from Putin, with whom he is increasingly frustrated and to which he accuses of dusty. At the same time, however, he is also interested in a peace agreement and seems open to a personal conversation with the Russian leader. US officials indicated on Thursday that nothing was yet finalized-including the format, date or location for a meeting.

criticism of the European diplomats

Some European officials privately expressed the fear that a summit could only be another attempt by Putin to extend the war and at the same time avoid new US sanctions. Several European leaders held talks with the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj on Thursday to discuss how to tackle the new diplomatic efforts.

preparations for the summit

Despite his frustration with Putin, Trump does not see the possibility of a summit as excluded. His team is working on the logistical and political preparations for a meeting that has already been promised in the White House and in the Kremlin for the next week. On Thursday, the Kremlin said that the planning for talks continues. Putin even called a possible meeting point, the United Arab Emirates, although no concrete place has yet been determined.

Trump's intentions regarding sanctions

Trump announced European leaders in a phone call that he wanted to meet Putin, but also with both, Putin and Selenskyj, in a trilateral format. The following day, he explained that he did not want to depend on a summit with Putin on an encounter between Putin and Selenskyj.

View of further trade negotiations

The first application of so -called secondary sanctions by Trump - the threatened additional custom of 25% on Indian imports of Russian energies - is scheduled to come into force on August 27. India is the second largest importer of Russian energy products while China is the largest customer. US officials report significant progress in trade talks with China, but Trump did not rule out the application of new secondary sanctions against Beijing, even if this could endanger the trade negotiations.

"One of them could be China," said Trump. "It could happen. I don't know. I can't tell you yet."