US President Donald Trump has warned that his patience with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in ending the Ukraine war is “running out and running out fast.”
“We're going to have to come down very, very strong. It's the only way,” Trump said in a TV interview on broadcaster Fox News, adding that this would involve “hitting very hard with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs.”
Trump said peace efforts have faced reluctance from the leaders of both sides to come to the table.
“It's amazing; when Putin wanted to do it, Zelenskyy didn’t. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to, and Putin is a question mark,” he said.
'A European problem'
Talking about sanctions on Russia, Trump said sanctions on banks and oil were an option, along with tariffs, but European countries also needed to participate.
"We're going to have to come down very, very strong," he said. He also cited previous measures meant to pressure India from importing Russian oil.
"India was their biggest customer. I put a 50 percent tariff on India because they're buying oil from Russia. That's not an easy thing to do. That's a big deal, and it causes a rift with India."
"And remember this: this is a European problem, much more than our problem."
Trump's remarks came after Poland said on Wednesday that its airspace was violated by drones amid overnight air strikes between Russia and Ukraine, calling the incursion an “act of aggression.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory during the attacks, which it claimed targeted enterprises of Kiev’s military-industrial complex in western Ukraine.
