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Trump threatens ‘severe consequences’ if Putin blocks Ukraine peace
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned of “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin blocked efforts to secure peace in Ukraine, while signalling that their upcoming meeting in Alaska could be followed swiftly by a trilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump, who did not elaborate on the nature of the consequences, has previously threatened economic sanctions if Friday’s meeting with Putin proves fruitless. His remarks came after a virtual conference with European leaders and Zelenskiy, amid fears in Kyiv that the Alaska talks could lead to a settlement at Ukraine’s expense.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump had assured them that no agreement on ceding Ukrainian territory would be made without Kyiv’s consent. Macron quoted Trump as saying the US aimed to achieve a ceasefire in Alaska, while Merz reiterated that borders could not be altered by force.
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Zelenskiy, who met European leaders in Berlin earlier in the day, warned that Russia’s recent advances in eastern Ukraine were meant to pressure Kyiv ahead of the summit. Moscow has reiterated demands for Ukraine to withdraw from occupied regions and abandon its NATO bid — conditions swiftly rejected by Kyiv.
The Alaska meeting will be the most significant attempt yet to end the three-and-a-half-year conflict, Europe’s largest since World War Two.