European leaders will visit the United States on Monday or Tuesday to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump has stated.
Trump also mentioned plans to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, highlighting that his administration is prepared to enter a second phase of sanctions on Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed support for the sanctions, emphasizing the need for European nations to cease purchasing Russian energy.
This development follows Russia's largest aerial bombardment on Ukraine, resulting in casualties and targeting main government infrastructures in Kyiv for the first time during the current conflict.
Trump remarked, I'm not happy with the whole situation after the attack, which involved a significant number of drones and missiles launched by Russia.
The European leaders, whose identities were not disclosed by Trump, are being called to discuss collective strategies against Russia's aggressions.
Since the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last month, Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified.
Zelensky pointed out that European partners purchasing Russian oil and gas is unjust, stating, We need to stop any energy imports from Russia, and all dealings with them if we aim to stop their advances. He praised Trump's intention to impose tariffs on nations maintaining trade relations with Russia to hinder Moscow's war funding capabilities.
Amid these discussions, it has been noted that Russia has earned around $985 billion from oil and gas sales since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with China and India being the leading buyers. Meanwhile, the EU is moving towards ending all purchases of Russian energy, with plans to do so by 2027.
Following recent tariffs imposed on India for its continued reliance on Russian oil, the Indian government has affirmed its intention to procure oil at the best possible prices for its citizens.
In the backdrop, OPEC+ has decided to increase oil production, a move that may exert downward pressure on global oil prices, complicating the geopolitical landscape further.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called for greater EU collaboration on enforcing secondary tariffs against countries that engage with Russia, indicating that such measures may lead to a collapse of the Russian economy, compelling Putin back to negotiation tables.
Bessent remarked, We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up, versus how long can the Russian economy hold up.
