Filenews 5 September 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering his next steps in the Ukraine war, as the deadline he had set for Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to meet and reach a ceasefire has expired without result.
The meeting in Alaska and European pressures
In August, Trump met with Putin in Alaska, speaking of "great progress" and "good chances of a deal." He then summoned Zelensky and European leaders to the White House, who called for security guarantees for Ukraine and a ceasefire before any direct Kiev-Moscow talks.
The US president then gave Putin "a few weeks" to meet with Zelensky, warning of "very serious consequences" if he failed.
Zelensky's reaction and Putin's rhetoric
Zelensky stressed that "everyone in the world is asking for a ceasefire" and that "the only one who wants war is Russia." Instead, Putin argued that the conflict "was caused by a Western-backed coup" and by "the pursuit of dragging Ukraine into NATO."
Trump's choices
With the ultimatum expired, Trump is considering:
- New sanctions on the Russian energy sector, which will hurt Moscow's economy.
- Reinforcement of Ukraine with military equipment. An $825 million arms sale has already been approved, while Western weapons have been licensed for attacks inside Russian territory.
Analysts estimate that these measures could weaken Russia's ability to continue the war.
The next step
Trump says he is confident that "a peace deal is possible" and that the ceasefire will "save lives in Russia and Ukraine." At the same time, he announced that a trilateral meeting between the United States, Russia and Ukraine will take place, leaving open the possibility of an immediate round of negotiations.
