U.S. President Donald Trump warns Russia of significant consequences if Ukrainian and Russian leaders fail to meet, stating he may intervene decisively after a week or two.
Donald Trump Warns Russia of Consequences
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday, “It depends on them. It always comes down to two people, the tangent, I keep saying. I think they should meet before I do, and likely a deal will be finalized. But I think that’s the right one. They don’t get along too well… I don’t know if they will meet, maybe, maybe not. They want me to be there. I said, ‘Guys, you should resolve this between yourselves, not between us.'” Trump warned that if the leaders of Ukraine and Russia do not meet, the Kremlin could face “very serious consequences.” He emphasized, “This war must end. We’ll see what happens in the next week or two, then I’ll intervene very strongly. If I have to be there, I’ll be there, and either we’ll reach an agreement or not—but many people are dying.”
Sergei Lavrov: Meeting Is Not Planned
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC News last week, “Vladimir Putin has repeatedly declared willingness to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Such talks will happen ‘if they genuinely lead to something.’ We do not see the purpose of meetings to give Zelenskyy another opportunity to be in the spotlight. We are not opposed to his grandiosity or playing different roles, but this will not resolve the issue because Zelenskyy publicly stated he would not discuss territorial matters, thereby challenging U.S. President Donald Trump and other American counterparts who insisted territorial issues should be part of negotiations.” Lavrov added, “The meeting is not planned, and I do not deny that. Putin is ready to meet Zelenskyy once the summit program is finalized, but it is not ready yet.”
“Russia Is Doing Everything to Prevent Meetings”
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He noted, “We also discussed the format of meetings with Russia’s leader, bilateral and trilateral… But now we see that Russia is doing everything to prevent any meetings. Ukraine, unlike Russia, does not fear meetings with leaders. We must force them to engage in diplomacy. We need truly strong sanctions if they refuse a diplomatic resolution to this war. If they do not want to end the war, we count on strong support from our partners. We believe we must do everything to ensure Russia avoids the talks.”
Source: Gazeta, https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/swiat/7
