European leaders are set to visit the United States early next week to engage in discussions aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This announcement was made by US President Donald Trump during a press conference on Sunday.
“Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually,” Trump stated, though he did not specify which leaders would be attending. This visit comes at a critical time as the situation in Ukraine escalates.
Sanctions and strategic discussions
In his remarks, Trump also indicated that he would be in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon.” Furthermore, he suggested that his administration is ready to enter a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia following its extensive military actions in Ukraine.
These comments were made against the backdrop of Russia’s recent large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals and significant damage to a key governmental facility in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the attack with strong condemnation, emphasizing that verbal expressions of sympathy from world leaders must be followed by decisive actions.
“Sanctions against Russia and individuals connected with Russia, tough tariffs and other restrictions on trade with Russia. Their losses must be felt. That is what is truly convincing,” Zelenskyy expressed on social media platform X.
Collaborative efforts against Russian oil purchases
On the same day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared insights regarding potential partnerships with European nations to impose additional sanctions on countries that continue to purchase Russian oil. This strategy aims to significantly undermine the Russian economy.
“We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us,” Bessent remarked during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” He further elaborated on the urgency of the situation, stating, “We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up versus how long can the Russian economy hold up.”
Bessent noted that if the US and the EU work cohesively to implement further sanctions and secondary tariffs against nations buying Russian oil, it could lead to a total collapse of the Russian economy.
The European Union has already begun to scale back its imports of Russian oil and gas following Moscow’s invasion in February 2022. In June, EU officials announced a plan to eliminate all remaining purchases of Russian energy by 2027.