Trump administration officials said Monday that they are prepared to impose “whatever it takes” on Russia in order to get Putin to meet with Ukrainian peace negotiators, including further penalties.
The latest developments in the Trump administration’s efforts to mediate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine were discussed by White House deputy head of staff James Blair, who appeared on “Fox & Friends” to voice Trump’s frustrations with both Russia and Ukraine.
“Obviously, the president feels like we are making progress, but he’s been frustrated at both sides, which he’s made clear,” he added. Over the weekend, he made it clear that he wants the Ukrainians to sign the contract with us quickly, saying that they should have done it weeks ago. And Putin, [Trump] is quite unhappy with last week’s strikes on civilian areas. To ensure that they quickly come to the table and establish peace, [Trump] has proposed raising sanctions and secondary tariffs on oil.
On April 24, Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles, killing 12 and injuring 90 others, including children.
When questioned about Trump’s reaction to the possibility that Putin is manipulating him, Blair cited a comment the president made on Saturday on his TRUTH Social platform.
“Well, look, he put out a statement, I think, two days ago on his TRUTH [Social account], where he said he does not want to be tapped along, he won’t accept it.” Blair declared. The president expressed his displeasure with the strikes on civilian areas, stating that it makes him question his sincere desire for peace. Furthermore, the president will not tolerate such behavior. Obviously, he has placed it on the table if it means escalating sanctions.
Blair spoke to AWN about one hour before the Kremlin announced a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine from May 8 to May 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. The statement elicited no immediate response from Kyiv.
Putin has stated his support for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire agreement in theory, but he has steadfastly rejected an unconditional end to hostilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to dampen hopes for a significant peace accord between Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, as he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that, although there has been movement, a deal is “still not there.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is Rubio’s counterpart, stated in a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Russia will not publicly discuss any conversations, but he did stress that Russia is “always available for a dialogue.”