U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that additional sanctions against Russia are “possible” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not come to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump was asked if he would impose further sanctions on Moscow if Putin refuses to engage in peace talks.
“It seems possible,” he said, without providing further details.
Asked if he believes the war in Ukraine should stop, he replied: “The war should never have started. If you had a competent president, which you don’t, the war wouldn’t have happened. The war in Ukraine would never have happened if I were president.”
He further criticized former President Joe Biden, saying that Putin “did not respect” his leadership.
Regarding whether he would continue sending weapons to Ukraine, Trump said, “We will consider that,” adding: “We are talking to (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We will speak with President Putin very soon and we will see how everything unfolds.”
“One thing I feel is that the European Union should pay a lot more than they are paying,” he added.
These remarks came after Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine, stating that he would engage in talks with both Putin and Zelenskyy, although he did not provide a specific timeline or details.
“President Zelenskyy wants peace. He has told me very strongly. But it takes two to tango,” he told reporters.
Asked when he would meet with Putin, Trump said: “Whenever they want, I will meet.”
“Millions of people are being killed. It’s a vicious situation,” he said, accusing the U.S. government of underreporting the number of deaths.
“The real killing now is on the front lines of the war. It’s a very flat land, and the only thing that stops a bullet is someone’s body, and you have young soldiers. So, Russia has lost about 800,000 soldiers now. Ukraine has lost about 600,000 or 700,000. I think the numbers are lower than what they are reporting,” he added.
