Trump, Putin to Speak on Thursday Ahead of Zelenskiy Visit
US President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, according to a White House official, ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump has expressed frustration with Putin over the Russian leader’s refusal to halt the fighting in Ukraine or meet with Zelenskiy face-to-face for peace talks. Zelenskiy is expected to ask Trump for more advanced weaponry when they meet on Friday at the White House.
Trump has indicated in recent weeks that he is eager to ramp up pressure on Putin to bring the war to an end, pushing US economic partners to cut off purchases of Russian energy and teasing the prospect of allowing Ukraine access to long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Tomahawks, among the most advanced weapons in the American arsenal, would allow Kyiv’s forces to strike deeper into Russian territory and mark a major shift for a US president who has been focused on bringing about a ceasefire. Russia in recent days has warned that such a measure would be seen as an escalatory move.
The US president over the weekend indicated he would use the Tomahawks as leverage in his conversation with Putin.
“I might say, ‘Look, if the war’s not going to get settled, I may send them Tomahawks,’” Trump had said.
In addition to long-range weaponry, Zelenskiy is also seeking air defense and urgent energy assistance as Moscow intensifies its strikes on power and water infrastructure ahead of winter. The Kremlin’s efforts are part of a deliberate strategy to demoralize the Ukrainian population ahead of winter. Long-range retaliatory strikes against Russia offer to also help Ukraine strengthen its hand in any future negotiations.
Zelenskiy’s US visit will also include meetings with members of Congress and military officials. The Ukrainian leader has said that he will also plan to meet energy company executives at Trump’s urging.
Trump campaigned on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine on his first day back at the White House, but despite multiple calls with Putin — and a summit in Alaska in August — that goal has proved elusive.
Trump has often threatened to impose sweeping new sanctions to force Putin to negotiate but those penalties have largely failed to materialize with the US president instead giving the Kremlin more time, even as Moscow steps up its aerial assault.
Trump has put the focus on fellow allies in recent weeks, demanding that they cut off Russian energy purchases entirely before he joins them in new sanctions against Moscow, a challenging precondition. Trump has also pushed partners to impose higher levies on China and India, two major buyers of Russian energy.
Trump doubled the tariff on goods from India to 50% to punish New Delhi for importing energy from Moscow. On Wednesday, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to halt those energy purchases, though India’s foreign ministry has said it was unaware of that conversation.
Plans for the Trump-Putin call were first reported by Axios.
Source : Bloomberg.com
