G7: Trump says Russia should 'make a deal' on Ukraine
Skip next section Trump at G7 signals shift away from Iran towards Ukraine war 06/16/2026 June 16, 2026 Trump at G7 signals shift away from
Skip next section Trump at G7 signals shift away from Iran towards Ukraine war 06/16/2026 June 16, 2026 Trump at G7 signals shift away from Iran towards Ukraine war US President Trump, riding high on news of a potential peace agreement with Iran, announced his intention to focus on ending the war in Ukraine next — although he gave little insight as to how he would do that. Trump, said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had conducted a "very good" meeting prior to making the statement. Without mentioning how he would pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to change course and negotiate a settlement to end the war of aggression he launched against his neighbor on February 24, 2022, Trump said, "I'm gonna do whatever I can" to stop the killing.
"Look," said Trump, "Russia should make a deal." Ukraine at the G7: Is Trump a bigger threat than Putin? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Zelenskyy, invited to the summit by host Emmanuel Macron, joined European leaders in lobbying Trump to do more to influence Putin, pointing out that Ukraine had again gained ground and continues to call for a negotiated end to the conflict. To drive the point of the Kremlin's desperation home, Trump was shown images of damage caused to a historically important Kyiv monastery in a recent Russian drone attack.
Zelenskyy is seeking further EU support to bolster his country's air defenses as well as calling on world leaders to put additional sanctions on Russia as a means of forcing Putin to the negotiating table. Trump, who relaxed US sanctions on Russian oil in March as the US war in Iran led to the Islamic Republic predictably closing the Strait of Hormuz — choking off global oil supplies and sending prices soaring — suggested Tuesday that he may reinstate the sanctions. Here, too, Trump was short on detail and avoided any commitment regarding new sanctions on Moscow.
Asked about the issue of letting Russia's waivers lapse, Trump simply said: "Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing. We're in a position to do that soon."
The BriefWire