According to reports by The Guardian of the UK and Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), a NATO source revealed on April 4 that U.S. President Trump, who is negotiating a ceasefire for Ukraine, is losing patience with Russia.
From April 3 to 4, NATO foreign ministers convened a meeting in Brussels to discuss strengthening NATO's defensive capabilities. According to information obtained by DPA from participants, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio indicated that Trump may no longer be caught up in Putin's endless delaying tactics.
Rubio said it might take weeks rather than months to confirm whether Russia is serious about peace.
Rubio stated that the U.S. side is observing whether Russia is truly interested in peace. Whether Russia is serious depends on its actions. The U.S. side will confirm this as soon as possible.
On April 3, Russian President's Special Representative and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Dmitryev, stated that he had met with officials of the Trump administration in Washington. This visit will be the first time since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 that a senior Russian official visits Washington for talks.
According to RT, Dmitryev told reporters on the evening of March 3 that "significant progress" had been made in reaching a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. For example, under the leadership of Presidents Putin and Trump, an agreement was reached to stop attacks on energy facilities. This is the first step in easing the conflict.
Rubio said he hopes Dmitryev conveys a clear message to the Russian side: "The U.S. needs to know if you are serious about peace."
It remains unclear how the U.S. will respond if Putin continues on the same delaying route. Reports suggest that the U.S. may impose new sanctions or provide further military assistance to Ukraine.
On March 30, Trump, in an interview, expressed his anger upon hearing Russian President Putin question the credibility of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and mention the need for a new leadership in Ukraine. He also threatened to impose a secondary tariff on Russian oil if he believed that the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine was "Russia's fault."
The next day, March 31, Trump again stated that he hoped to see Putin "reach an agreement" to end the Ukraine conflict. Trump reiterated that he would impose a secondary tariff on Russian oil if necessary. He also expressed disappointment over Ukraine and the lack of an agreement on rare earth minerals.
On April 1, half of the members of the U.S. Senate (25 Republicans and 25 Democrats) jointly proposed a draft bill imposing sanctions on Russia, aimed at seeking severe sanctions against Russia when it refuses to engage in "genuine and lasting peace negotiations." According to the draft, the U.S. can impose a 500% tariff on countries purchasing Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, and other products.
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Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7489638790463308297/
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