With tensions over Ukraine reaching a critical point, US President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin — promising “severe consequences” if Moscow refuses to cooperate in securing peace.
The warning comes just days before the two leaders are set to meet in Alaska on Friday, a summit Trump has framed as a last chance to halt the nearly three-and-a-half-year-long conflict — Europe’s largest since World War II. While Trump left the exact nature of the consequences unspecified, senior aides have hinted at a package of escalated economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation should the talks fail.
Trump said the Alaska meeting could be a gateway to a more ambitious effort — a direct three-way summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one… with Zelenskyy and myself, if they’d like me there,” Trump told reporters.
In a sharp political swipe, Trump blamed the war on the previous administration, declaring, “This is Biden’s work, not mine. This war would have never happened if I were President. But it is what it is. I am here to fix it.”
The President boasted of his record in conflict resolution, claiming, “I have stopped five wars in the last six months. On top of that, we wiped out the nuclear capability of Iran, obliterated it. If we can save lives in Ukraine, it will be a great thing.”
Wednesday’s comments followed a high-level virtual call involving Trump, Zelenskyy, and key European leaders — hosted by Germany — to set non-negotiable terms ahead of the Alaska talks. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump agreed that Ukrainian territory cannot be negotiated away without Kyiv’s consent and supported security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any post-war settlement.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that Europe would back Trump’s mediation but warned of coordinated pressure if Russia stalls. “If there is no movement in Alaska, the United States and we Europeans should increase the pressure — President Trump shares this position,” Merz said.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has warned allies that Putin’s latest military advances in eastern Ukraine are part of a calculated bluff. “Russia wants to intimidate us before the talks, but they have no genuine intent to end the war,” he said after consultations in Berlin.
The Kremlin, however, has remained unmoved. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev reiterated that Moscow’s demands remain unchanged since last year, suggesting little appetite for compromise.
