Worthy Christian News > World News > Trump Seeks Face-To-Face Meeting With Russia’s Putin As Sanctions Near (Worthy News In-Depth)

Trump Seeks Face-To-Face Meeting With Russia’s Putin As Sanctions Near (Worthy News In-Depth)

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump is seeking a direct, face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week in a bold move to end Moscow’s war against Ukraine, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Following the proposed meeting, Trump is reportedly planning a three-way summit that would include himself, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — notably without participation from any European representatives, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The announcement was made during a conference call with Zelenskyy and European leaders on Wednesday evening, coinciding with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow.

With time running out to secure a take-it-or-leave-it deal, Witkoff reportedly exchanged “signals” and held “useful and constructive” discussions with Putin on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, said sources familiar with the meeting.

Earlier, Worthy News reported that a pause on Russian air strikes was under consideration.

Witkoff’s arrival in Moscow came just two days before President Trump’s deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face a new round of U.S. sanctions.

Sanctions being weighed by the Trump administration include the “blacklisting” of vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers if Putin fails to approve a ceasefire by Friday, sources confirmed.

BLACKLISTING VESSELS

If enacted, it would mark the first time the United States has imposed sanctions against Moscow since Trump returned to the White House in January.

Russia has used this shadow fleet — made up mainly of aging tankers — to bypass Western restrictions imposed following Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to an assessment by the Financial Times. Proceeds from these crude exports have reportedly helped fund Russia’s military efforts.

Trump is also ramping up pressure on India, a major buyer of Russian oil, alongside China. The Kremlin has rejected such pressure, saying attempts to penalize countries that trade with Russia “are illegal.”

On Monday, President Trump announced plans to raise tariffs on Indian imports. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine,” he said in a social media post.

A new bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal proposes tariffs of up to 500 percent on countries that continue to import Russian energy products.

The measure has garnered significant support in the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.

Trump has said he is “very strongly” considering backing the legislation, though some analysts question whether such steep tariffs could be realistically enforced.

MORE OPTIONS

Other options under review include more vigorous enforcement of existing sanctions and joining the European Union’s new “dynamic floating price cap on Russian oil,” set to take effect in early September.

The EU’s executive European Commission is pushing to lower the price cap — the maximum allowed price for Russian crude — from $60 to $45 per barrel.

Washington could also impose “secondary sanctions” on foreign banks and refineries that continue to facilitate trade in Russian oil, added Edward Fishman, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

Despite the three hours of talks between Witkoff and Putin, there was no indication that the Russian president would yield to Trump’s ultimatum.

Kremlin insiders said Putin believes he is winning the war and prioritizes military goals over diplomacy with the U.S.

“The visit of Witkoff is a last-ditch effort to find a face-saving solution for both sides. I don’t think, however, that there will be anything of a compromise between the two,” said Gerhard Mangott, an Austrian analyst and member of a group of Western academics and journalists who have met with Putin over the years.

“Russia will insist it is prepared to have a ceasefire, but (only) under the conditions that it has formulated for the last two or three years already,” Mangott added. “Trump will be under pressure to do what he has announced — to raise tariffs for all the countries buying oil and gas, and uranium probably as well, from Russia.”

RUSSIA PRIORITIZES WAR

Kremlin sources familiar with Putin’s thinking said the Russian leader does not want to antagonize Trump and realizes he may be missing a chance to improve relations with the West.

However, Putin reportedly views his war objectives as more critical. According to Russian officials, Putin’s conditions for peace include: a legally binding pledge that the NATO military alliance will not expand further eastward, Ukraine’s neutrality, protections for Russian-speaking populations, and international acceptance of Russia’s territorial gains.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who spoke with Trump on Tuesday, remains defiant. He reiterated that Ukraine would never accept Russia’s claims of sovereignty over its occupied regions and said Kyiv reserves the sovereign right to determine its alliances, including NATO membership.

Zelenskyy described his call with Trump as “productive,” noting that they discussed “ending the war, sanctions on Russia, and finalizing a U.S.-Ukraine drone deal.”

“President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Since direct peace talks resumed in May, Russia has launched some of its most intense airstrikes of the war, killing at least 72 people in Kyiv alone, Ukrainian officials said. Trump last week called the attacks “disgusting.”

Helping end the war would mark a surprising feat for Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer with no diplomatic experience before joining Trump’s team in January. Witkoff has been tasked with brokering ceasefires in the Ukraine and Gaza wars, while simultaneously addressing the nuclear standoff with Iran.

(With additional reporting from Washington, D.C.)

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