Mark Rutte Donald Trump White House meeting: Trump meets NATO’s Mark Rutte after US tightens pressure on Putin by imposing sanctions on Russia’s top oil companies
Trump Met with Mark Rutte After Announcing Sanctions on Russia
According to The Hill report, this move was the Trump administration’s most significant move to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking with Rutte, Trump said, “I just felt it was time. We have waited for a long time,” and said that the decision to impose sanctions was long overdue, according to The Hill.
“It’s a huge day for what we’re doing. These are massive sanctions. They’re big, they’re against two major oil companies, and we hope they won’t last long. We hope the war will be resolved. We’ve only responded on various types of missiles and everything else we’re looking at, but we don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” the US president said, as quoted in the report.
According to the report, Republicans in the Senate are pressing for the implementation of their own sanctions package against Russia, but Trump has not yet allowed a vote. He reiterated that he wanted Moscow to agree to end the fighting on the current front lines and “just go home”.
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Trump Cancels Planned Putin Summit in Budapest
The sanctions announcement came shortly after Trump canceled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, Hungary. “We canceled the meeting with President Putin,” Trump said, and according to The Hill, “That didn’t seem right to me. It didn’t feel like we were going to get where we needed to get to. So I canceled it, but we will do it in the future.”
Tense Meeting Between US and Russian Officials
The reversal came after a tense preparatory meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that there were “no immediate plans” for a Trump-Putin meeting, according to the report.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó later said that preparations for the summit were continuing and that the only problem was timing.
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Trump Explains Why He Rejected Ukraine’s Tomahawk Missiles
Trump also announced his decision not to provide long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying the weapon’s complexity was a major obstacle.
“The problem with the Tomahawk – a lot of people don’t know – is that it takes at least six months, usually a year, to learn how to use them. They’re pretty complicated, so the only way a Tomahawk can be shot is if we shoot it, and we’re not going to do that,” The Hill quoted the US president as saying.
Trump emphasized: “But there’s a huge learning curve on the Tomahawk. It’s a very powerful weapon, a very accurate weapon, and maybe that’s what makes it so complex. But it’s going to take a year.” “It takes a year of intensive training to learn how to use it, and we know how to use it and we won’t teach it to others. It will be far in the future,” he said, as quoted in the report.
Zelensky Says Meeting with Trump Was “Positive”
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described his meeting with Trump in Washington as “positive” but left without making any commitments on the missiles, The Hill reported. Zelensky later said Trump’s decision weakened Russia’s motivation to continue diplomacy.
Trump Signals Action Against Drug Cartels
Trump said his administration may ask Congress for permission to launch strikes against drug cartels operating on the ground.
He said, “We’re going to hit them hard when they come overland. And they haven’t experienced that yet, but we’re fully prepared to do that now. We’ll probably go back to Congress and when we come we’ll explain exactly what we did.” [they] Come to the land,” The Hill reported.
The administration has already launched deadly attacks on drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 people. Earlier Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. forces had carried out their first strike in the Eastern Pacific, killing two “narco terrorists,” according to the report.
The Marine campaign was pushed back by Democrats and Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who questioned its legality. But Trump insisted his administration had the authority to act, calling it a “national security issue.”
Trump Turns His Eyes to Trade and Nuclear Deal with China
Trump said he was looking forward to his trip to Asia and meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hoped to reach a comprehensive agreement, The Hill reported.
He said: “I think we’ll make a deal on everything. I think we’ll make a deal on soybeans and farmers. I think maybe we’ll make a deal on nuclear.” [weapons]As stated in the report.
Trump rejected China’s export controls on rare earth minerals, saying “tariffs are much stronger than rare earth,” The Hill reported.
In response to Beijing’s move, the United States announced retaliatory 100% tariffs that will take effect on November 1, and the administration is also considering new restrictions on software-supported exports to China.
According to The Hill, Trump is planned to travel to Asia at the end of this week, stopping by Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
FAQ
Why did Trump impose new sanctions on Russia?
Pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Which Russian companies were targeted by sanctions?
Rosneft Oil Co. and Lukoil OAO.
