President Trump canceled the meeting on Ukraine, which was supposed to take place in Budapest this week, with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and slammed new sanctions on Moscow.
The new sanctions target Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an effort to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine.
“Every time I speak to Vladimir, I have good conversations and then they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere,” Trump said, after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss peace negotiations.
Trump says Putin not serious about Ukraine
Trump criticized Putin for not being serious about making peace and said he hoped that the sanctions would help force a breakthrough. “I just felt it was time. We waited a long time,” Trump said.
He called the sanctions package “tremendous” and added that he hoped they could be swiftly withdrawn if Russia agrees to stop the war. Rutte also praised the move, saying it was “putting more pressure” on Putin.
“You have to put pressure, and that is just what he did today,” Rutte said. The sanctions announcement came one day after Trump said a meeting planned with Putin in Budapest would be shelved indefinitely.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russia unleashed an intense bombardment on Ukraine that killed at least seven people, including children.
Related: Trump and Zelenskyy Meet at White House: Tomahawk Missiles on the Table Amid Peace Talks
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