European leaders will visit the US on Monday or Tuesday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday.
“Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually,” Trump said, without elaborating which leaders would make the trip across the Atlantic.
The US president also said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon” and indicated his administration was prepared to move into a “second phase” of sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump’s comments come after Russia launched its largest ever aerial attack on Ukraine, killing at least four people and setting a main government building in the capital of Kyiv alight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Sunday’s strike in strong terms. He said statements of condolences by state leaders and institutions “must be backed by strong actions.”
“Sanctions against Russia and individuals connected with Russia, tough tariffs and other restrictions on trade with Russia. Their losses must be felt. That is what is truly convincing,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated the US would be open to partnering with European countries to impose more sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil in order to “collapse the Russian economy.”
“We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us,” Bessent said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up versus how long can the Russian economy hold up,” Bessent added. “If the US and the EU can can come in, do more sanctions, secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will be in total collapse.”
The EU has already reduced its purchases of Russian oil and gas since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. In June, Brussels set out a 2027 deadline to phase out all remaining purchases of Russian energy.
