US President Donald Trump has finally called the Russian Federation the aggressor in the war against Ukraine. Recalling the losses among Ukrainian and Russian troops, he told reporters on Sunday: "This week, 8,000 soldiers died on both sides. A little more on Russia, but when you're the aggressor, you lose more."
There is no official confirmation of his words, but such a statement once again demonstrated Trump's strengthening negative position towards Moscow.
Change in rhetoric
According to Politico, the head of the White House previously refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion, and his administration in February sided with Russia and North Korea, rejecting a UN resolution supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemning the Russian Federation. The US also objected to the G7 statement calling Russia an aggressor in February.
Trump then blamed Ukraine for the war, saying in April: "You don't start a war against somebody 20 times bigger than you and then hope that people will give you some missiles."
However, as the publication notes, the US president's position on the Kremlin has changed over the summer, with his administration now putting increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin.
"I thought it would be easy"
During his address to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump also noted that ending the war in Ukraine had proven more difficult than he expected.
"I thought this (Russia's war in Ukraine) would be easy for me, but it turned out to be a failure. The hatred between Zelensky and Putin is incomprehensible. They hate each other," he said.
Trump later responded to a reporter's question about the possible timing of the meeting, noting that it could take place "relatively soon," and that the format of the meeting - a summit or just a meeting - does not matter, the main thing is the participation of the United States.
"There will be talks, whether it's a summit or a meeting, it doesn't matter. But I'll probably have to be there. They hate each other so much they can barely talk," Trump added.
A Condition for Europe
With Trump's previous position failing to push Putin to the negotiating table with Zelensky, the US administration is facing growing calls to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
On Sunday, Trump said he planned to do so, but only after Europe stopped buying Russian oil and strengthened its own sanctions regime.
While Trump called European countries his "friends," they are still "buying oil from Russia. I don't want them buying oil. And the sanctions they're imposing aren't tough enough."
"I'm willing to move forward, but they have to move forward, too. When we impose new sanctions, they're going to be very, very strong," the US president stressed.
However, according to the New York Times, Trump's inner circle understands that this demand will likely remain unfulfilled, since a number of EU countries continue to purchase energy resources from Russia, and this, as the publication notes, is the main reason why he is not really going to rush with new sanctions.
It should be noted that Hungary and Slovakia are the largest buyers of oil from Russia and oppose the European Commission's efforts to gradually stop it.
The floor is in the president's hands
On Friday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Politico that the US wants to "drive out all Russian gas," adding: "The more we can stifle Russia's ability to finance this bloody war, the better for all of us."
The US Congress is also set to impose sanctions against Moscow, but the final decision depends on the president, said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
"I do believe that desperate times call for desperate measures, and sanctions against Russia are long overdue. There is a great desire in Congress to do this. But the president has to sign off on any solution," he told CBS News.
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