Donald Trump has said there could be ‘very bad’ punishment for Vladimir Putin if he doesn’t accept the ceasefire with Ukraine.
The US lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv yesterday (11 March) as Russia is considering the new proposal.
But it seems Trump could be threatening Putin with great consequences if he doesn’t agree to it.
Ukrainian officials have signalled they are open to a 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington as the US president says he wants to end the war.
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While discussing the administration's efforts to bring an end to the three years of fighting, he again said it could lead to World War III.
Trump said he hoped ‘it is not going to be necessary’ that he has to take measures to pressure Russia into the ceasefire, while criticising previous presidents for their record of dealing with Moscow.
"They never took anything from me. They took them from Obama and Bush, and they took from sleepy Joe Biden. With Biden, they wanted to take the whole country, but I think I’ve stopped that, but we’ll see," the president said of his own previous dealings.
However, as reporters asked how he could secure a deal with Russia, Trump said that if needed ‘there are things you can do that wouldn’t be pleasant in a financial sense’.
"We could do things very bad for Russia. Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace," he added.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it is important not to ‘get ahead’ of the question of responding to the new ceasefire proposal. He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting ‘detailed information’ from the US and suggested that Russia must receive that first before it can take a position.
Now lifted, the US' suspension of military aid came after a heated exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House. The American warned Zelenskyy he was ‘gambling with World War III’ as the world watched on as tensions grew.
This decision to then resume US assistance after talks on Tuesday with senior Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia marked a sharp shift in its stance.
And Trump said ‘it’s up to Russia now’ as his administration presses Moscow to agree to the ceasefire.
"And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia," he said today in the extended exchange with reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach of Ireland.
"And if we do, I think that would be 80 percent of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath ended."
Topics: World News, Politics, Russia, Ukraine, US News
Jess Battison