Trump: I think Putin wants to get it done. I feel he wanted the whole thing. If it weren’t me, he would not talk to anybody. I believe now he’s convinced he’s going to make a deal, we’ll see in the meeting. 1/
Trump: Everything has an impact. I told India we’d charge them for buying Russian oil. They called to meet. Losing your second and first largest customers matters. He respects our country now. The market’s raging, companies moving back. Golden age of America. 2/
Trump: Economic incentives and disincentives are very important. Russia has tremendous potential, largest land, great wealth. Oil and gas is very profitable. They have advantages over most countries. Economic sanctions and incentives are very powerful. 3/
Trump: I don’t know if we’ll get an immediate ceasefire, but I think it’s coming. I’m more interested in a fast peace deal. Depending on my meeting, I’ll call Zelenskyy. Second meeting has three possible locations, including staying in Alaska. 4/
Trump: I don’t want to indicate a second meeting. Maybe there will, maybe not. I’ll let them negotiate their deal. If it’s a good meeting, I’ll call Zelenskyy and European leaders. NATO agreed to pay 5%, very unified. If bad, I’m going home. 5/
Trump: We had a great press conference in Finland (2018), but fake news tried to make it bad. Hours later, they made a scheme about me and Russia. We’re under pressure from the Russia hoax. I told Putin it would be very hard to make any economic deal. 6Х
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Merz: If a meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin, and Trump can be arranged, it will be more valuable than a ceasefire that could last for weeks without further progress in political and diplomatic efforts. 1/
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the US, not European countries, is playing a decisive role in ending the war in Ukraine.
Merz: Europeans play a role, but the decisive power in this war is the US, using military and sanctions to push Russia to act. 2/
Merz: Russia seems willing to negotiate along the current contact line, not administrative borders, a huge difference.
Putin reportedly agreed to negotiate along the current front line, but these are details to be settled in a peace agreement.
Bolton: Trump did not lose, but Putin clearly won.
Trump left with nothing but talk of more meetings. Putin pushed his goal of rebuilding ties, avoided sanctions, faced no ceasefire, and kept Zelenskyy uninformed. He achieved most of what he wanted. Trump gained little. 1/
Q: Do you think there was something actually agreed to?
Bolton: It sounds like it. But there is no White House decision-making process. It's hard under Trump. Today it broke down completely. 2/
Bolton: The mood in Russia after this is going to be close to euphoric. In the US it's going to be confused. In Europe and Ukraine it's going to be very depressed. 3/
Snyder: Trump wants to be remembered as a peacemaker. Ignoring the realities of war makes it impossible. He has made the war longer and worse.
For Russia he is a hope. Inviting a war criminal inside your military base and car is not a signal to end the war. 1/
Snyder: What it reveals is that Trump thinks only about himself.
If you stand next to him and say nice things, you get his permission to do whatever you want in the world. 2/
Snyder: Trump has made no policy, no sanctions, no freezing of assets. Instead he made big concessions, tried to take NATO off the table, no talk of reparations or punishment.
Russians think they can flatter him, mock him, and still go their way. 3/