Trump seems to be very patient with Putin – top EU diplomat

President of the United States Donald Trump seems to be "very patient" with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, said the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas. Words of an official on the sidelines of a strategic forum in Bled, Slovenia, reports Radio Liberty.

Expressing her assessment of Trump's diplomatic efforts, Kallas applauded them, specifically praising the secondary tariffs against Moscow's trade partners. At the same time, the official noted that "if we were all tougher on Putin, this war would be over by now."

"We have heard that president Trump is not a very patient person. However, he seems to be very patient with Putin," the official added.

She said that the EU is working on another one, 19th package of sanctions against Russia, and noted that the previously imposed restrictions have proven effective.

Kallas emphasized that pressure is "the only thing Putin really takes seriously."

"The reason why he wanted to hold the meeting in Alaska was to postpone the threat of sanctions coming from the US. So he doesn't really want sanctions. If you look at their impact on the Russian economy, you can see that the sanctions are really working... The [Russian] economy is not doing well," said the EU diplomat.

Kallas also considers the Russian dictator's demands to give him Ukrainian territories that have not been occupied by military means a trap.

"Everyone starts talking about what Ukraine should give up, and they say that, of course, [president] Zelenskyy should decide which territories to give up. You see, this really does not take into account the fact that Russia has not made any concessions... while everyone is talking about what Ukraine should give up," the official said.

She emphasized that she sees no signs of Moscow's readiness for real peace, but rather that Russia is preparing to continue the war against Ukraine.

"As winter approaches, we see that they are preparing attacks on energy infrastructure [of Ukraine]it takes at least two people to want peace, and it takes one to want war. And as long as Russia still wants war, there will be no peace," the official summarized.

• In late August, an anonymous senior White House official told Axios that Trump was seriously considering suspending diplomatic efforts on Russia's war against Ukraine until one or both sides will not show "more flexibility".
• Trump says the US will not send its military to Ukraine, but will help Europe in the implementation of security guarantees.