It’s been more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and now President Trump is applying maximum pressure to get much-needed peace talks started.
On Thursday morning, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined President Trump at the Oval Office for a conversation about the Russia/Ukraine conflict. According to Breitbart, Merz and President Trump discussed America’s willingness to impose new sanctions against the Russian Federation. President Trump had responded by warning that he would punish whatever country stood in the way of peace progress.
Breitbart reported that President Trump said, When I see the moment when we’re not going to make a deal, when this thing won’t stop, at that moment…We’ll be very, very tough. And it could be on both countries, to be honest, you know? It takes two to tango. We’re going to be very tough whether it’s Russia or anybody else.”
On Monday, delegates from Russia and Ukraine met for a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. CNN reported that the talks started late and Russia laid out two ceasefire options, which include territorial concessions that Ukraine has historically rejected. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia’s offer is not a ceasefire. CNN reported that Zelensky told the press on Monday, “What they are talking about is not a ceasefire, because meanwhile the war continues on the other areas of the front line, on all other areas and civilian infrastructure and civilians are being attacked.”
While no ceasefire agreement was made, they did agree to exchange more prisoners of war and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers, reported Reuters. Turkish President Erdogan hopes to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together for a meeting in Turkey, with the participation of President Trump.
President Trump continues to apply pressure to both countries to end the war and is ready to dole out punishment. Breitbart reported that President Trump said in the Oval Office, “If [a peace deal] doesn’t happen and if I see someone’s out of line, if Russia’s out of line, you’ll be amazed how tough [I will be].”
