US President
Donald Trump said on Wednesday (local time) that he will soon speak with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as US efforts to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine appear to have stalled, leaving the White House increasingly frustrated.
Trump told reporters during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office that he would be speaking with Zelenskyy in the coming days to decide the next steps.
The White House later clarified that the call with Zelenskyy was scheduled for Thursday. Officials also confirmed that there were no immediate plans for a call with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, the US Trump had given Russia and Ukraine a “two-week” deadline, saying he would soon decide whether to impose “massive sanctions.”
When asked about his message for Putin, Trump said he had none but issued a subtle warning.
“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other. Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it, or unhappy. And if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen," he said.
Trump’s talks with Poland’s president come as Putin is making high-profile appearances abroad, including at a military parade in China alongside other powerful authoritarian leaders.
More than two weeks after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, and after Zelenskyy and several European leaders visited Washington, there has been little progress on the direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian leader that the White House has been urging.
According to CNN, Trump is reconsidering whether he should remain involved in trying to broker such a meeting. On Wednesday, Putin said he was open to hosting Zelenskyy in Moscow, an idea Kyiv dismissed as “unacceptable.”
Trump’s frustration was visible during Wednesday’s press conference when he was asked about not taking enough action against Russia. He snapped at a Polish reporter and hinted that he might take more steps to pressure Moscow.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser (of oil), outside of China – they’re almost equal. Would you say there was no action? That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three,” he slammed.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that “all options are on the table” for new sanctions, though the administration has so far refrained from additional steps.
One of Trump’s more aggressive measures against Russia has been doubling tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent, in an effort to pressure New Delhi to cut back on oil purchases from Moscow.
The move has strained US-India ties, with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi signaling his disapproval by joining a summit in China with Presidents
Xi Jinping and Putin, among others.
China used the gathering to showcase its military strength, including a parade attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump mocked the event in a post on Truth Social, writing: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and
Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America.”
He later added that the parade was partly intended for him to watch, and confirmed that he had watched it. “My relationship with all of them is very good,” Trump said. “We’ll find out how good it is over the next week or two.”
Putin, responding to Trump’s comments about Xi, Putin, and Kim “conspiring” against the US, dismissed the remark and said it reflected Trump’s “sense of humor.”
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