French President Emmanuel Macron reminded President Trump of the deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. If this doesn’t happen by Monday, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump, according to Macron. European leaders would push for primary and secondary sanctions to pressure the Kremlin to negotiate a peace deal. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the conflict in eastern Europe could continue for “many more” months. Trump said he expects to make a move in two weeks if a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin is not set.
So far, Russia has slow-walked Washington’s effort to broker a peace deal to end the 3 1/2-year war in eastern Europe. Ukraine has balked at making territorial concessions but says it’s ready for Zelensky to meet with Putin as it also negotiates postwar security guarantees with the U.S. and Europe. Russian officials have questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, and Moscow’s military has continued to pound Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missile assaults.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called the question “absurd” and added that the president has “achieved seven peace deals in seven months.” Miller echoed Trump’s claim that the Russia-Ukraine war is “Biden’s war” and emphasized that Trump is working “steadfastly to end the killing, and that’s something that everybody in the world should celebrate.”
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia in New York City, where they discussed Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine. Yermak called for “global pressure” to ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and hold critically important leaders’ meetings for that purpose.
