The fate of Ukraine’s protracted conflict hangs in the balance after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a two-week deadline for a major decision on the war. His administration is weighing a dramatic escalation of sanctions against Russia against a policy of complete non-intervention.
This move puts intense pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in direct talks. Trump, who recently hosted Zelensky at the White House and met Putin in Alaska, is now leveraging U.S. influence to force a diplomatic resolution.
As this deadline was announced, Vladimir Putin was in Sarov, offering rare praise for a U.S. president. He described the Trump administration as a “light at the end of the tunnel” for the deeply damaged U.S.-Russia relationship, signaling a potential willingness to cooperate with Trump’s initiative.
However, Putin’s speech also contained a defiant message about Russian sovereignty. He declared that Russia would “cease to exist” without it, a stark contrast to his view of Western European states. This highlights the complex ideological and geopolitical forces at play as Trump’s crucial deadline approaches.
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