US President Donald Trump on Thursday said there’s a “25% chance” that his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin could end in failure, especially if it doesn’t lead to a second meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Speaking to Fox News Radio, Trump said, “There is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting, in which case I will [return to] run the country and we have made America great again already in six months.” The US President further likened the ongoing peace efforts to “a chess game,” while noting that the aim is to establish boundaries and agreements involving “a give and take as to boundaries, lands.”
Sanctions Still on the Table
Trump hinted that if the talks in Alaska go poorly, he is ready to bring sanctions back into play. Claiming that secondary tariffs had already pushed India, Russia’s second-largest oil buyer, to pull back from Russian crude, Trump further said, “Everything has an impact. Certainly, when you lose your second largest customer… I think that probably has a role.”
Responding to a question about offering economic incentives to Russia to end the war in Ukraine, Trump appeared to skirt around the question, reportedly saying, “I wouldn’t want to play my hand in public,” even as he acknowledged Moscow’s “tremendous potential”, particularly in oil and gas.
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The Zelenskyy Follow-Up
Should the meeting go well, Trump said he would immediately call Ukrainian Prrsident Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the European leaders to keep the momentum going toward ceasefire negotiations. “We have an idea of three different locations,” he hinted, including possibly staying in Alaska on account of apparent logistical ease.
“If it’s a bad meeting, I’m not calling anybody. I am going home,” Trump further said, adding, “But if it is a good meeting, I am going to call President Zelenskyy and the European leaders.”
The US President concluded his remarks, telling Fox News Radio, “We’ll do the best we can, and I think we’ll have a good result in the end.”
Joint Presser? Maybe
Asked whether he would appear at a joint press conference with Russian leader Putin, Trump said, “I think it might be nice to have a joint, and then separates.” The US President, however, suggested that he would hold a press conference “even if the talks collapse.”
Hopes for Ukraine Peace and Ceasefire Progress
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that any potential peace deal would need to address security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as discussions about “territorial disputes and claims.”
“Let us see how the talks go. And we are hopeful,” Rubio told news agencies AFP and Reuters.
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