US President Donald Trump has announced that European leaders will come to the US early this week, on the 8th or 9th of September, to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine, the BBC reports.
Trump added that he wants to speak with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin soon, and also hinted that his administration is ready to launch a second phase of sanctions against Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the introduction of sanctions was the right thing to do and called on European countries to stop buying Russian energy resources. Russia carried out its heaviest bombing of Ukraine so far over the weekend, and the parliament building in Kyiv was also damaged.
After the attack, in which Moscow used at least 810 drones and 13 missiles, Trump indicated that he was “not happy with the whole situation.” He said that the leaders of some European countries would come to the United States, but did not specify who they might be.
Russia’s attacks have intensified since Trump and Putin met in Alaska on the 15th of August.
Zelensky, speaking to ABC News, said it was unfair that European partners continue to buy Russian oil: “We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia.
We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them.”
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has sold oil and gas worth $985 billion. The largest buyers of the aggressor’s energy resources are China and India. The EU has significantly reduced purchases of Russian oil and gas, but has not completely abandoned them. Brussels announced in June a plan to completely stop the entry of Russian energy resources into the bloc by 2027.
The US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods in August, punishing them for buying Russian oil. The Indian government has said it will continue to buy oil where it is more profitable. Russian officials said after a visit to China that they would increase gas supplies to China.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he wants stronger EU support for secondary sanctions: “We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up, versus how long can the Russian economy hold up.”
Read also: Putin rejects Western security guarantees for Ukraine