Trump doubts whether he can persuade Putin to make peace. He shifts responsibility onto the EU.

US President Donald Trump reportedly doubts whether he can convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

According to the website Axios, Trump admitted to close associates that he had underestimated Putin's unwillingness to engage in peace talks.

Although Trump recently promised to end the war “within 24 hours,” he now appears to be changing his tone.

After Putin rejected both a ceasefire and a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump did not impose new sanctions on Russia. Instead, he called on the European Union to take a tougher stance toward Moscow and China.

On the social network Truth Social, he threatened sanctions—but only if all NATO countries joined in and stopped buying Russian oil.