US President Donald Trump stated he isn’t going “to be wasting my time by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin if the Kremlin leader is not ready to make a deal to end his war on Ukraine.
“You need to know that we’ll make a deal. I’m not going to be losing my time,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a stop in Doha en route to Malaysia, where he kicks off an Asia trip on October 26.
“I’ve all the time had an awesome relationship with Vladimir Putin, however this has been very disappointing. I believed this is able to have gotten accomplished earlier than peace within the Middle East,” he added.
Trump spoke to Putin last week and said he planned to meet him in Budapest within the next few weeks. However, the US president later canceled the meeting, although he said it could take place at another time.
Will There Be Even More Sanctions?
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a US official and another person familiar with the matter as saying Trump’s administration has prepared an additional series of sanctions against Russias economy that could be imposed if Putin refuses to reach a peace deal.
SEE ALSO:
Kyiv’s Western Backers Ready To Go ‘Further Than Ever’ To Punish Russia, Starmer Says
However, Reuters quoted an unidentified senior US official as saying Trump would prefer to have European nations make the next big move against the Kremlin — either in the form of additional sanctions or tariffs.
The United States sent shockwaves across global energy markets on October 22 when it said it wassanctioningstate-controlled Rosneft and privately owned LUKoil — Russias two largest oil companies, whose exports go a long way toward filling the Kremlins coffers used to fund the war.
A day later, theEuropean Uniontargeted Rosneft and Gazpromneft, another major oil company that is a subsidiary of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 26 described the sanctions as an “unfriendly step” and said they “have certainly broken the prospects of resuscitating our relationships” with Washington.
Speaking on state-controlled Rossiya 1 TV, Peskov added that there were no preconditions for a summit between Putin and Trump, blaming Ukraine and Europe for halting the process.
“Trump understands that there are at the moment no causes to imagine that any progress could possibly be made within the peaceable settlement within the close to future,” he said, adding that talks laying the groundwork for a summit continue.
“Presidents can’t meet for the sake of assembly, they can not simply waste their time, and they’re open about that. That’s why they instructed [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov and [U.S. Secretary of State Marco] Rubio to arrange this course of. The course of is sophisticated,” he said.
SEE ALSO:
How Might China Respond To US Sanctions On Russia’s Biggest Oil Companies?
Observers are watching closely to gauge reactions by India and China — the two biggest buyers of Russian oil exports. China is one of Moscows top allies and trading partners, sourcing much of its Russian energy via Siberian pipelines.
New Delhi has so far resisted US pressure to curtail its use of Russian energy, and Trump has lashed out at India on the issue, imposing punitive tariffs and threatening more actions.
Trumps latest remarks appear to throw cold water over comments by Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, who told CNN on October 24 that he believes the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have made strong progress toward ending the war in Ukraine.
SEE ALSO:
Russia’s Oil Giants Get Sanctioned By The US. Will It Hurt The Kremlin’s War On Ukraine? (For Now, No)
“I imagine Russia and the US and Ukraine are literally fairly near a diplomatic answer, Dmitriev stated, though he didn’t clarify intimately why he believes a diplomatic answer is shut. The public positions of Russia and Ukraine stay far aside on key points together with territory and safety ensures.
Dmitriev was within the United States to satisfy with US officers. No particulars of the talks have been instantly accessible, though Reuters quoted a supply as saying the discussions have been to renew on October 26.
Trump Set To Meet Xi In South Korea
Trump is about to satisfy Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on the ultimate day of his regional journey that’s anticipated to focus primarily on commerce.
He additionally stopped in Malaysia, the place he presided over an settlement between Thailand and Cambodia on their border battle. The US president can be anticipated to go to Japan on the journey.
In the meantime, Ukraine continues to endure almost nightly assaults by Russian drones and missiles that hit condo buildings and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and different main cities removed from the entrance line.
Asked about an assault this week that hit akindergartenin Kharkiv, Putin envoy Dmitriev stated the Russian navy isn’t concentrating on kindergartens however that the navy ought to be requested about this particular state of affairs.
“Im not a military guy,” he stated. “Im just working to have dialogue and make sure that the conflict is ended as soon as possible.”
Early on October 26, Ukrainian officers stated an in a single day assault by Russian drones on a high-rise constructing in Kyiv injured no less than 26 individuals, together with six youngsters.
“Everyone is receiving medical assistance. Some have been hospitalized,” the federal government stated onTelegram.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP