As President Donald Trump prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has doubled down on a 'very severe' threat in the hope of 'saving a lot of lives'.
Two of the most influential figures in global politics, if not the most important people on the planet, are set to sit down face-to-face in Alaska to discuss how they can bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On February 24, 2022, Russia declared war on its southern neighbor when Putin ordered his men into Crimea. Since then, Russia has seen the occupation of around 20 per cent of the country.
Now, as the meeting is almost underway, with it set to commence at 11am local time in Anchorage, it is hoped that a ceasefire in Eastern Europe can be agreed upon.
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It is something the 79-year-old POTUS has been pushing for since reclaiming the Oval Office in January, and despite his administration even having added an extra incentive to get involved, he has borne no fruit whatsoever.
Each time Trump has called for Putin to come to the table and bring an end to the conflict, the 72-year-old leader has carried out stronger attacks on Ukraine.
And every time, the former businessman has expressed his frustration at the situation and has issued a few warnings.
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This time, Trump has issued a 'very severe' threat to Putin, which he'll take action on if he doesn't agree to terms at their 'high-stakes' meeting, as the New Yorker has called it on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One ahead of the meeting, he was asked what the consequences would be for Russia if Putin failed to show a willingness to talk about ending the war in Ukraine.
"Economically severe. It will be very severe," he said. "I’m not doing this for my health, okay, I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives.
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"Yeah, very severe.”
Although Trump didn't explain what the punishment would be for Russia if it wasted his time, adding: "I don’t have to say. There will be very severe consequences."
The president was then asked whether he could actually bring Putin to stop bombing Ukrainian citizens - something he conceded that he wasn't sure whether he could do.
Trump said: "I'll tell you what. I've had that conversation with him. I've had a lot of good conversations with him then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the streets.
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"So, I guess the answer to that is no, because I've had this conversation. I want to end the war. It's Biden's war, but I want to end it.
"I'll be very proud to end this war, along with the five other wars I ended. But, I guess the answer to that is probably no."
Topics: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, Russia, Politics
Joe Yates