Washington, Aug 23:  US President Donald Trump has given a two-week deadline to start peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been going on for three years.

Trump said if conditions do not improve for peace talks, he will either impose heavy sanctions and tariffs on Russia or leave Ukraine to resolve the issue on its own. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said it will become clear within two weeks which direction things will go. He added that if talks fail, the US could impose harsh sanctions, extremely high import tariffs, or both on Russia, or decide to stop making any effort to resolve the conflict.

Trump stressed the need for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said he wanted both leaders to meet, but if they refused, the world should know.

According to Trump, arranging peace talks is not easy. He compared a Putin-Zelensky meeting to mixing oil and vinegar, saying the two leaders cannot get along. Still, he said it was important to see if they could work together, as their disagreements were rooted in genuine reasons.

Trump urged both leaders to hold talks and find a solution on their own, even without his involvement. He called the continuation of war and ongoing deaths foolish. He claimed about seven thousand people, mostly soldiers, are being killed every week in the war. He had previously said the number was five thousand but now said it has risen to seven thousand.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Putin is willing to meet Zelensky only after all issues related to the war are fully resolved. According to Lavrov, Putin will be ready for talks at the highest level only after experts and ministers from both sides reach agreement on necessary issues. This came in response to Trump’s suggestion that Putin and Zelensky hold direct talks.

People’s News Monitoring Service