President Donald Trump has initiated a high-stakes gambit to break the stalemate in the Ukraine war, setting a two-week timeframe to decide between imposing “massive sanctions” on Russia or doing “nothing” at all. This all-or-nothing approach places immense pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv to move towards a peaceful resolution.
The president’s declaration came after a series of top-level meetings, including discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House and a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump is now leveraging the threat of severe economic penalties to encourage a direct dialogue between the two warring nations, a meeting Zelensky has already expressed openness to.
In a surprising turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered public praise for Trump amidst the rising pressure. During a visit to Sarov, the cradle of the Soviet atomic program, Putin stated that the Trump administration represents a “light at theend of the tunnel” for the deeply troubled US-Russia relationship, which he described as being at an all-time low.
Putin coupled his hopeful words with a stark defense of national sovereignty, implying it was a line Russia would never cross. He claimed that while Western European countries could function without full sovereignty, it was a matter of life and death for Russia. This dual message of conciliation towards Trump and defiance towards the West defines Moscow’s complex position as Trump’s deadline ticks down.