South Korean media: Trump: "If Putin does not end the war after the meeting, it will lead to serious consequences"
¬ "If the meeting goes smoothly or a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy is held," expressing annoyance at pessimistic views, saying: "What's the point of capturing Moscow?" The list of Federal Reserve Chair candidates has been narrowed down to 3-4 people... "Will nominate earlier"
On the 15th, US President Donald Trump spoke about the upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, saying, "If the meeting goes smoothly, we will immediately hold a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy." At the same time, he said that if Putin does not stop the war after the meeting, "it will lead to very serious consequences." On the same day, two days before the US-Russia summit, Trump held a video conference with leaders of major European countries and Ukraine, which was interpreted as sending a message to Putin that he would not easily compromise.
At an event held at the Kennedy Center in Washington on that day, when asked whether Russia would face consequences if Putin did not stop the war after the meeting, Trump said, "It will face very serious consequences." When asked if these consequences included sanctions or tariffs, he avoided giving a specific answer, saying, "There's no need to disclose." For the Ukraine war, which has entered its fourth year since Trump took office, Trump has increased diplomatic efforts. However, despite six phone calls between Putin and Trump, there has been no response. While balancing appeasement and pressure, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on India on the 6th for importing Russian oil. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen said during an interview with Bloomberg that "Trump always tells Putin that all options are on the table." He warned that measures such as implementing more sanctions or increasing tariffs again would be taken if a positive outcome could not be achieved.
When asked if he could convince Putin to stop attacking Ukrainian civilians, Trump said that although he had previously asked, Putin continued to launch attacks, and "no" (he was not convinced). That morning, Trump held a video conference with Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries, where he said, "This was a very good call." Axios reported that Trump said at the meeting, "The purpose of the meeting with Putin is to achieve a ceasefire and better understand whether a comprehensive peace agreement is feasible." In the liberal democratic camp, many are concerned that Trump might be led by Putin's strategy of avoiding the pressure to stop the war while continuing to attack Ukraine.
That day, on his social media platform "Truth Social," Trump expressed his negative expectations about the meeting: "Some media comments about my meeting with Putin are unfair. Despite the meeting being held in the United States, they keep quoting the words of the dismissed fool John Bolton (the national security advisor during Trump's first term), saying 'Putin has already won.' We are winning in all areas. Fake news will say that even if I gained Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for free as part of an agreement with Russia, they will say I made a bad deal."
On the other hand, Trump spoke about the next Federal Reserve (FED) chair, saying, "I have narrowed down the candidates to 3-4 people. I plan to nominate a new chair earlier than usual." Trump has openly criticized current Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, claiming he does not meet his demand for lower interest rates. Powell's term ends in May, and currently, the search for his successor is being led by Bessen. Trump also emphasized that each 1 percentage point increase in interest rates adds $36 billion (about 496 trillion won) in annual interest on the national debt, and he pressured the Federal Reserve, saying, "I think the benchmark rate should be lowered by another 3-4 percentage points."
Source: Chosun Ilbo
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840397721000969/
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