US President Donald Trump said on August 22 that he will make a “very important” decision within two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts, warning that Russia could face massive sanctions or that Washington might step back entirely. The remarks came a day after a Russian strike hit a US-owned factory in Ukraine, an incident Trump admitted left him “not happy.”
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump stressed that his decision would depend on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree to meet. “I think I’ll know the attitude of Russia, and frankly, of Ukraine. It takes two,” he told reporters.
“Then I’m going to decide as to what we do, and it’s going to be a very important decision. That’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs, or both. Or do we do nothing and say it’s your fight?”
The US president displayed a photo of himself with Putin at their recent Alaska summit, which he said was sent to him by the Kremlin. The Anchorage meeting was the first Russia-US summit in more than four years and reportedly focused heavily on possible compromises to end the war in Ukraine.
What are Putin’s peace terms?
According to sources familiar with top-level Kremlin discussions, Putin has signaled a willingness to soften some earlier demands. While he continues to insist that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region, Moscow is prepared to halt advances in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson if Kyiv agrees. Russia controls about 88% of the Donbas and more than 70% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, according to US estimates.
The sources said Russia is also willing to relinquish small areas it controls in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk. However, Putin remains firm on NATO restrictions, demanding Ukraine abandon its membership ambitions and that no Western troops be stationed in Ukraine.
Kyiv, however, has dismissed the proposal. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly said Ukraine will not cede internationally recognised territory, calling the Donbas “a fortress holding back Russian advances.” NATO membership, he added, is enshrined in Ukraine’s constitution and cannot be negotiated away.
How does Trump do a balancing act?
Trump has sought to portray himself as a potential “peacemaker president,” insisting he wants to end what he called the “bloodbath” of the war. He has floated the possibility of a three-way summit with himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy. “I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended,” Trump said alongside Zelenskyy in Washington this week.
But questions remain about whether Zelenskyy can negotiate, with Russia questioning his legitimacy since Ukraine postponed elections due to the war. Western leaders, including those of Britain, France, and Germany, remain skeptical of Moscow’s intentions, warning that Putin may be using talks to buy time.
What are Trump’s next steps on Ukraine?
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff played a key role in arranging the Alaska summit, with Putin reportedly outlining the contours of a deal during a Kremlin meeting earlier this month. Options under discussion include reviving the failed 2022 Istanbul framework, which tied Ukrainian neutrality to security guarantees from the UN Security Council’s permanent members.
For now, Trump has given himself two weeks to decide on sanctions or tariffs against Moscow or whether the United States should simply step aside. As he put it: “There are two choices: war or peace. And if there is no peace, then there is more war.”