Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has threatened to financially punish Russia if Vladimir Putin rejects a peace agreement to end the conflict with Ukraine.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the US leader to take decisive action if Putin did not back a 30-day ceasefire deal between Ukraine and the US.
At a summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, U.S. and Ukrainian officials came to an agreement that included a 30-day truce.
Europe, Ukraine, and the United States are awaiting Russia’s reaction to the proposed ceasefire.
By the end of the week, President Trump is anticipated to dispatch his officials to Russia for negotiations with Putin.
Whether or not the Kremlin is in favor of an immediate ceasefire has not been stated in public.
On Wednesday, Trump informed reporters that he had heard “positive messages” about the truce, but that “a positive message means nothing.”
Later, the White House announced that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, will visit Moscow later this week.
From the White House, Trump declared, “It’s up to Russia now.” “As we speak, our guys are traveling to Russia. And let’s hope that Russia will grant us a ceasefire.
He could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia,” Trump continued.
But “I don’t want to do that, because I want to get peace,” he continued.
We just found out, so we haven’t had any meaningful conversations with him yet,” he continued. We will find out shortly. I’ve received some encouraging words, but they are meaningless.
“This issue is quite serious. When asked if he thought the Russian leader would adhere to a ceasefire, he said, “This is a situation that could lead to world war three.”