US President Donald Trump has said that within the next two weeks it will become clear whether there will be any progress in his efforts to end Russia’s attack on Ukraine. He stated that he is considering imposing sanctions but is not satisfied with the direction of any peace initiatives. Just a week earlier, he had held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, but at that time he could not persuade Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump said that there is a lot of hatred between them, but within two weeks it will be clear in which direction the situation will move. He remarked, “It takes two to tango. I wanted to bring them together, but many believe that such a meeting would not achieve anything.”

Trump further claimed that he had previously prevented a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. He said, “I have resolved seven wars, and if you count the conflicts that were already ongoing, the number rises to ten. The Ukraine–Russia conflict falls into that difficult category.”

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he sees a ray of hope in US–Russia relations. He mentioned that the Alaska meeting was very candid and meaningful, and that Trump’s leadership qualities would help restore ties between the two countries.

At the same time, the head of the Pentagon’s intelligence agency was removed from his position. This move was strongly criticized by senior members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. A senior Democratic lawmaker stated that this was yet another example of the Trump administration politicizing intelligence agencies.