Europe will wait for the Istanbul meeting, then turn to Trump for sanctions – Bloomberg
European leaders are willing to wait for a possible meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Turkey before pushing for the United States to announce new sanctions against Moscow, Bloomberg reported , citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
According to the agency's interlocutors, the American side wants to allow negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to take place on Thursday, May 15, before increasing pressure on Putin.
If Putin refuses to meet with Zelensky or Russia does not agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire on Thursday, European leaders will urge US President Donald Trump to follow through on his threat to impose sanctions on Moscow.
As the agency notes, the Trump administration's next steps regarding Russia have been unclear over the past 48 hours.
On Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany believed they had received agreement from Trump, according to his social media post, to support a plan for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, with agreed U.S. and European sanctions against Russia if Moscow continues its strikes on Ukraine.
However, Trump refused to publicly endorse this new schedule and instead called on Zelensky to meet with Putin in Turkey this week, a position that the Europeans did not expect, but which Zelensky nevertheless accepted.
On Monday, May 12, in conversations between American and European officials, the American side did not clearly express its readiness to impose sanctions against Russia if the attacks continue this week, and what it would do if Putin refuses to meet with Zelensky and continues to attack Ukraine, the agency's interlocutors said.
- According to sources at The Guardian, Trump’s demand for Ukraine to negotiate has set back and possibly jeopardized Europe’s carefully crafted plans to persuade Washington to impose sanctions on Moscow for refusing to sign a ceasefire .
- The German government has demanded that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire by the end of May 12. Otherwise, preparations for new sanctions will begin.
