Trump Says He'll Decide Within 2 Weeks On Next Steps To End War In Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 23, 2025

US President Donald Trump says he will decide his position on Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in the next two weeks and again warned that it could involve sanctions against Russia.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on August 22, he said he wanted to see whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would meet first.

"I think I'll know. I think I'll know the attitude of Russia, and, frankly, of Ukraine. It takes two," Trump said when asked what he would do at the end of a two-week timeframe for assessing the state of peace talks.

"Then I'm going to make a decision as to what we do and it's going to be a very important decision," he said. "Whether it's massive sanctions, massive tariffs, or both. Or I'll do nothing and say, 'This is your war.'"

Trump has previously suggested that the White House is working to facilitate a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy to discuss ending the war, and that a trilateral meeting involving the two leaders and Trump would likely come next.

Trump spoke at a White House event to announce that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held in Washington in December. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino joined Trump in making the announcement as the United States, Canada, and Mexico gear up to host the event.

Trump also suggested that Putin may attend the World Cup. Holding up a photo that he said Putin had sent him after their summit in Alaska last week, Trump said the Kremlin chief "wants to be there very badly" and "may be coming and he may not" depending on the outcome of Ukraine peace efforts.

Russian teams have been barred from competing in the World Cup and other international sporting because of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier on August 22, Trump said Putin and Zelenskyy were like "oil and vinegar" and it was not clear whether a trilateral meeting would take place.

"We'll see whether or not I would have to be there," he said. "I'd rather not, I'd rather them have a meeting and see how they can do."

Trump also said he was "not happy" about a Russian strike on August 21 that hit a US-owned factory in western Ukraine. Several workers were injured in the attack on the factory, one of the largest American investments in Ukraine.

Trump said earlier this week after meeting Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House that he had begun the arrangements for a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting after a call with the Russian leader.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to throw cold water on the plan, telling US broadcaster NBC there was no agenda for such a summit.

"Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all," he said.

The statement echoed Moscow's position that a meeting is impossible unless certain conditions are met.

Earlier on August 22, Zelenskyy said Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Putin. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for Putin to meet him, saying it is the only way to negotiate an end to the war.

"The meeting is one of the components of how to end the war," he said at a press conference in Kyiv with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. "And since they don't want to end it, they will look for space to (avoid it)."

Zelenskyy called on Western countries to tighten sanctions against Russia to force Moscow to negotiate peace. He and Rutte discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, adding that the guarantees ought to be similar to NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member of the alliance an attack against all.

Rutte said NATO allies and Ukraine are working to ensure security guarantees are strong enough that Russia will never try to attack again.

"Robust security guarantees will be essential, and this is what we are now working on to define," he said.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-putin-zelenskyy- war-ukraine-russia-fifa-rutte/33510906.html

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Trump Says He'll Decide Within 2 Weeks On Next Steps To End War In Ukraine