Trump push for Ukraine-Russia Talks thrown Europe’s sanctions strategy into disarray

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Ukraine to immediately enter peace talks with Russia has thrown Europe’s sanctions strategy into disarray and forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept an invitation from Vladimir Putin for negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday.

European diplomats say Zelenskyy had little choice but to comply, fearing Trump might withdraw U.S. support if he refused. Trump’s statement on Truth Social accused both Russia and Ukraine of stalling his proposed 30-day ceasefire plan, urging direct talks “to determine whether or not a deal is possible.”

The surprise move comes just after the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Poland — Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Donald Tusk — traveled together to Kyiv for the first time, united in pressuring Trump to sanction Russia and back a truce.

European Plans Postponed

• The UK postponed a fresh round of sanctions planned for Monday.
• The EU, however, remains on course to announce new measures later this month unless a ceasefire is reached by the end of today.

A German government spokesperson said sanctions work would begin “if there is not a ceasefire by the end of the day,” while the UK has paused its response amid Trump’s intervention.

The stakes for Thursday’s Istanbul meeting are high. If Russia refuses a ceasefire or the talks collapse, European leaders are expected to redouble pressure on Trump to acknowledge Putin is obstructing peace.