Zelensky says Trump was ready to slap Russia with sanctions after Vatican meeting
Zelensky says Trump was ready to slap Russia with sanctions after Vatican meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believed President Donald Trump was ready to impose sanctions on Russia after the two world leaders met at the Vatican last month, according to remarks released Wednesday.
Trump had been critical of Ukraine’s unwillingness to make concessions in negotiating an end to the war with Russia, but in recent weeks, more of his frustration has been directed at Russia. Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, the Ukrainian president said that after his talk with Trump at Pope Francis’s funeral in April, he believed the U.S. president would impose sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not agree to a ceasefire in the conflict.
“President Trump supported that if Russia does not stop, there will be sanctions,” Zelensky said, according to the Washington Post. “Our conversation was positive from the point of view that I perceive our conversation as a confirmation of the U.S. policy of imposing strong sanctions against Russia if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire.”
Both sides characterized the meeting on April 26 as positive. Since then, Trump has spoken with Zelensky and Putin over the phone. Russia has not agreed to a ceasefire.
As Trump’s frustration mounts, he has opened the door to putting additional sanctions on Russia. The U.S. president said he would “absolutely” consider sanctions on Russia when talking with reporters Sunday and that he was “not happy” with Putin’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Trump expressed his frustration with Putin in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, saying the Russian president was “playing with fire.”
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“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump said.
Zelensky traveled to Germany on Wednesday to meet with the country’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, as the Ukrainian president seeks to secure more arms and support from European allies.
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