U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will decide “within two weeks” whether to move ahead with “massive” new measures against Russia, linking the decision to progress on arranging talks between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Moscow, however, signalled that no leaders’ meeting is in preparation, undercutting expectations of a swift breakthrough.
Mr Trump outlined the timeline in remarks on Friday, stating he could impose substantial sanctions—or opt not to—depending on whether diplomacy advances. Earlier in the week he told U.S. media he expected to know “in two weeks” whether a deal is feasible. The formulation, while keeping pressure on both sides, leaves open what action Washington would take if no meeting is set or if talks fail to narrow differences.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said “no meeting is planned” between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy and argued any summit would have to follow detailed preparatory work by envoys. Kyiv maintains that it is prepared for leader-level engagement provided there are credible security guarantees and a halt to Russian attacks; Mr Zelenskyy has publicly accused Moscow of avoiding a meeting. The gap over sequencing and conditions remains wide.
Events on the ground have complicated the politics. On 21 August a Russian strike hit an American-owned electronics plant in Mukachevo, western Ukraine, prompting criticism from Mr Trump and raising questions over whether U.S. investment in Ukraine deters attacks. The facility’s owner, Flex, confirmed damage and injuries. Ukrainian officials called it a targeted strike on civilian infrastructure.
Kyiv has meanwhile intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Ukraine attacked the Druzhba pipeline’s Unecha pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk region, suspending oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest and Bratislava protested to Brussels; reports said Mr Trump conveyed to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that he was “very angry” about the Ukrainian action. The episode underscores competing priorities: shielding European energy supplies while constraining revenues that fund Russia’s war.
Mr Trump has also linked his diplomacy to high-profile public messaging. During an Oval Office appearance alongside FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, he said the 2026 World Cup draw would be held at Washington’s Kennedy Center and hinted that Mr Putin might attend the tournament, comments that drew attention given Russia’s continued exclusion from FIFA and UEFA competitions. The White House event followed last week’s Alaska summit between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, which ended without a ceasefire.
Meeting In Alaska: A Big Deal Without Any Peace Deal, by Mykhailo Gonchar
For now, signals from Moscow point to delay. Mr Lavrov said an agenda for a leaders’ meeting is “not ready at all” and reiterated Russia’s preference for lower-level contacts first. Ukraine’s position remains that any summit should be anchored in enforceable security guarantees and respect for territorial integrity. With both sides maintaining firepower on the battlefield, incentives to compromise appear limited.
The two-week clock therefore functions less as a deadline than as a test of leverage. If Mr Trump proceeds with new sanctions—potentially including secondary measures—Washington could increase pressure on Russia while seeking to keep European partners aligned. If he holds off, the initiative may shift back to track-two formats and exchanges over venues, none of which, on current evidence, bring a Zelenskyy–Putin meeting materially closer. Either way, the Kremlin’s stance that “no meeting is planned” sets a low bar for tangible movement anytime soon.
Szijjártó says Druzhba oil supplies to Hungary halted again after fresh strike
