Amid continued Russian attacks against Ukraine, Trump said he’s giving Putin two weeks to prove he’s serious about peace—or face tougher action.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin two weeks to demonstrate a genuine commitment to ending the war in Ukraine, warning that failure to do so could result in tougher action, including sanctions.
“I’m very disappointed,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on May 28, referring to Russia’s latest drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, which he condemned for killing civilians during ongoing talks to put an end to the long-running war.
Asked by a reporter whether he still believes Putin “actually wants to end the war,” Trump said he remains uncertain whether the Russian leader is negotiating in good faith—and pledged a tougher U.S. response if it turns out Putin is insincere.
“I can’t tell you that but I‘ll let you know in about two weeks,” Trump replied. “Within two weeks we’re going to find out—very soon. We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not. And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently.”
Trump said his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is leading negotiations with the Kremlin “very strongly” and suggested that Russia appears interested in reaching an agreement. They seem “to want to do something, but until the document is signed, I can’t tell you, nobody can.”
Despite his growing frustration over Russia’s escalating attacks against Ukraine in the midst of U.S.-brokered negotiations, Trump told reporters that he has held off on imposing new sanctions on Moscow because he believes the warring sides are close to a cease-fire. “I don’t want to screw it up,” he said, noting that sanctions could derail the talks.
Trump said he’s been “a lot tougher” on Russia than other U.S. presidents, “but you have to know when to use” sanctions most effectively.
“If I think it’s going to hurt a deal … this isn’t my war—this is Biden’s war, Zelenskyy’s war, and Putin’s war, this isn’t Trump’s war,” he said, adding that the only reason he’s involved is to end the bloodshed.
By Tom Ozimek
