(NewsNation) — As the war between Ukraine and Russia ramps up, Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a looming deadline from President Donald Trump on peace talks to end the fighting.
Putin has said he and Trump have reached an understanding on ending the war, but he has not said whether he agreed to peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump previously floated a Monday deadline for Putin to respond to ceasefire negotiations.
Putin was in attendance Monday at a security conference meeting with several world leaders aimed at countering Western influence. At the conference, he expressed openness to a potential deal.
Hopes for peace deal between Russia and Ukraine falter amid recent strikes
“We value the efforts and propositions to solve the Ukrainian crisis that China, India and other strategic partners have offered,” Putin said. “An understanding that was reached at a U.S.-Russia summit heads the same direction, I hope. I pave the way to peace in Ukraine, I hope.”
Trump has threatened to issue more economic tariffs if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire. In a social media post, he pointed to the fact that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and “very little from the U.S.”
“They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late,” Trump wrote. “They should have done so years ago.”
Trump previously vowed to increase tariffs on India as a secondary measure if a ceasefire is not reached. White House officials said they remain confident that peace in Ukraine is a possibility.
