While U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to find common ground with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to begin negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, Russia has already provided ample justification for applying serious pressure to compel it toward peace.
William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2006-2009), said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“President Putin has given President Trump every reason to impose those sanctions,” Taylor emphasized.
He said that Presidents Trump and Zelensky had agreed on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire — in the air, on land, and at sea. But when Trump presented the proposal to Putin, the Russian leader said “no.”
“So, Putin is clearly the problem, and I believe that President Trump is going to understand, recognize, and realize that Putin is the problem,” Taylor said. “And at that point, he will take some steps to put pressure on President Putin to come to the table.”
The former ambassador also rejected claims that the current U.S. administration is trying to distance itself from involvement in resolving the Ukraine issue. He stressed that everything now depends on President Trump.
“He wants to win, he wants to be a winner. And in order to win, he has to take very strong action to put pressure on Putin to come to the table. That will be winning, and I believe he will get there,” Taylor said.
On Wednesday, June 18, Trump stated that during a phone call with Putin, he rejected the Russian president’s offer to act as a mediator in talks with Iran.
Source: Putin has already given Trump every reason to impose new sanctions – ex-ambassador Taylor
