US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire,” while Washington is weighing new sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war.
Trump’s comments came two days after he called the Kremlin leader “absolutely crazy” following a major drone attack on Ukraine.
Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, said that it was responding to escalating Ukrainian strikes on its own civilians and accused Kyiv of trying to “disrupt” peace efforts.
Photo: Reuters
Diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified in the past few weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday calling for a three-way summit with Trump and Putin.
Putin rejected calls to meet Zelenskiy in Turkey earlier this month and the Kremlin has said a meeting between the two leaders would only happen after some kind of “agreement” is reached.
“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 wrote on the Truth Social platform.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN reported that Trump is considering fresh sanctions as early as this week.
Trump on Sunday told reporters that he was “absolutely” weighing such a move.
The White House said that Trump was keeping “all options” open.
“This war is [former US president] Joe Biden’s fault, and President Trump has been clear he wants to see a negotiated peace deal. President Trump has also smartly kept all options on the table,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Biden imposed sweeping sanctions after Russia’s invasion. Trump has so far avoided what he says could be “devastating” sanctions on Russian banks.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday in a conference call with reporters said that the national interest was paramount for Putin.
A possible meeting of Putin with Trump and Zelenskiy should take place only following preparations and talks, Peskov added.
Russian authorities said that almost 150 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted overnight, including 33 heading toward Moscow.
Ukraine said it was Russia that had targeted civilians.
“We need to end this eternal waiting — Russia needs more sanctions,” Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Telegram on Tuesday.
Zelenskiy yesterday met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin as Ukraine seeks further military support amid the escalation in Russia’s bombing campaign.
US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg told Fox News that the next peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, if they happen, would likely take place in Geneva, Switzerland, after Moscow rejected the Vatican as a venue.
The aim would then be to get Trump, Putin and Zelenskiy together, “and hammer this thing out,” Kellogg said.
The Swiss government would not confirm that it would host the talks.
“Switzerland remains ready to offer its good offices,” the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that it was “in contact with all parties.”
Additional reporting by Reuters and AP
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