President Trump Says He'll 'Back Away' If Russia-Ukraine Deal Isn't Made: Full Q&A
May 19, 2025
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13:35Now PlayingPresident Trump Says He'll 'Back Away' If Russia-Ukraine Deal Isn't Made: Full Q&A
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as posted by the channelEleven days ago, European leaders took heart when President Donald Trump called for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened new sanctions on Russia. A phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday revealed those hopes were misplaced.
After two hours on the phone with Putin, Trump wrote a social media post saying Ukraine and Russia would “immediately start negotiations” toward a ceasefire — but apparently without the US. There was no sanctions threat, no demand for a time-line, and no pressure on the Russian leader.
Trump followed the Putin call by reaching out to European leaders, but already several governments were airing their disappointment. After months of failing to move Putin closer to peace, they fear Trump is pulling the plug on his efforts to end the war, leaving Ukraine and its allies on their own.
One European official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, said leaders fear Trump is disengaging from the diplomatic effort. Another said Trump had made it clear that he doesn’t want to impose sanctions and is retreating from his own calls for a ceasefire.
“Today it feels like we are back into a much longer-term scenario, in which Putin is buying himself and his military more time,” said Kristine Berzina, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Geostrategy North program in Washington. “Putin won himself more opportunities, and a ceasefire and a resolution seem ever further away.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would "back away" if a deal isn't made between Russia and Ukraine to stop fighting. “I think something’s going to happen and if it doesn’t I’m just going to back away and they are going to have to keep on going,” President Trump says.
President Trump also said he has a “certain line” in his head that would result in the US walking away from negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Hear his full exchange with reporters from the White House.
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