U.S. President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, in August.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump is redoubling his efforts to end the war in Ukraine, announcing a second meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin one day before sitting down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Mr. Trump’s announcement came shortly after finishing a call with Mr. Putin on Thursday. A date has not been set, but Mr. Trump said the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary, and suggested that it could happen in about two weeks.
“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. The two leaders previously met in Alaska in August, which did not produce a diplomatic breakthrough, a source of frustration for the U.S. leader who had expected that his long-standing relationship with Mr. Putin could pave the way to resolving a conflict that began nearly four years ago.
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Yuri Ushakov, Mr. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, said the Russian President initiated the call, which he described as “very frank and trusting.” He said Mr. Putin emphasized to Mr. Trump that selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, something the U.S. President has publicly discussed, would “inflict significant damage to the relations between our countries.”
Mr. Trump was already scheduled to meet Friday with Mr. Zelensky, who has been seeking weapons that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian territory. Mr. Zelensky has argued such strikes would help compel Mr. Putin to take Mr. Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.
Mr. Trump previously said that the U.S. has “a lot of Tomahawks,” but on Thursday he said stockpiles were limited and may not have missiles to spare.
“We have a lot of them, but we need them,” he said. “I mean, we can’t deplete for our country.”
Artillerymen of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade fire an M114 self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region in Ukraine on Wednesday.Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters
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Mr. Trump’s renewed focus on the war in Ukraine comes after forging a ceasefire that could end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a diplomatic accomplishment that he celebrated with a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt on Monday.
Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza was central to Mr. Trump’s campaign pitch last year, when he persistently pilloried president Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts.
Although there has been fragile progress in Gaza, Mr. Trump has been stymied by Mr. Putin, unable to persuade the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Mr. Zelensky.
Earlier this week in Jerusalem, in a speech to the Knesset, Mr. Trump predicted the truce in Gaza would lay the groundwork for the U.S. to help Israel and many of its Middle East neighbours normalize relations. Mr. Trump also made clear his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
“First we have to get Russia done,” Mr. Trump said, turning to his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has also served as his administration’s chief interlocutor with Mr. Putin. “We gotta get that one done. If you don’t mind, Steve, let’s focus on Russia first. All right?”
U.S. President Donald Trump with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York in September.Alexander Drago/Reuters
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Friday’s meeting with Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky will be their fourth face-to-face encounter this year. After their initial Oval Office conversation devolved into recriminations, they’ve forged a more amicable relationship.
Mr. Trump has said he’s considering selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, something Mr. Putin has said could further damage relations between Moscow and Washington.
Although such a sale would be a splashy move, it could take years to provide the equipment and training necessary for Ukraine to use Tomahawks, said Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.
Mr. Montgomery said Ukraine could be better served in the near term with a surge of Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, missiles and Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS. The U.S. already approved the sale of up to 3,350 ERAMs to Kyiv earlier this year.
The Tomahawk, with a range of about 1,600 kilometres, would allow Ukraine to strike far deeper in Russian territory than either the ERAM (about 460 km) or ATACMS (about 300 km).
“To provide Tomahawks is as much a political decision as it is a military decision,” Mr. Montgomery said. “The ERAM is shorter range, but this can help them put pressure on Russia operationally, on their logistics, the command and control, and its force disbursement within several hundred kilometres of the front line. It can be very effective.”
Smoke rises from the ruins in Kostiantynivka, a frontline town, on Oct.13.Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via The Associated Press
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Waiting for Mr. Trump’s blessing is legislation in the Senate that would impose steep tariffs on countries that purchase Russia’s oil, gas, uranium and other exports in an attempt to cripple Moscow economically.
Though the President hasn’t formally endorsed it – and Republican leaders do not plan to move forward without his support – the White House has shown, behind the scenes, more interest in the bill in recent weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered the most upbeat prospects yet for the bill, saying senators will consider it “in the next 30 days.”
However, Mr. Trump suggested that he wanted to tap the brakes.
“I’m not against anything,” he said. “I’m just saying, it may not be perfect timing.”
Administration officials have gone through the legislation in depth, offering line edits and requesting technical changes, according to two officials with knowledge of the discussions between the White House and the Senate. That has been interpreted on Capitol Hill as a sign that Mr. Trump is getting more serious about the legislation, sponsored by close ally Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., along with Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Mr. Thune said Mr. Graham will introduce a revised bill shortly. A White House official said the administration is working with lawmakers to make sure that “introduced bills advance the President’s foreign policy objectives and authorities.” The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations, said any sanctions package needs to give the President “complete flexibility.”
Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there would need to be significant pressure on Russia to deter Mr. Putin from continuing the war.
“We should be prepared that this war is not going to come to an end any time soon, unfortunately,” she said.
A damaged private car is seen in Kostiantynivka, a frontline town, on Oct. 13.Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via The Associated Press