What Trump said on India buying Russian oil before meeting Putin
Before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump has said that imposing tariffs on India will affect Russia's economy.
Talking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said, "Russia's economy is not in a good condition. It has been affected a lot. And it becomes more difficult when the President of America tells Russia's biggest or second biggest oil buyer that if you buy Russian oil, we are imposing a 50 percent tariff on you. This is a big shock for them."
He said, "I was fully prepared to take much bigger steps than this. But I got a call that he (Putin) wants to meet and I will see what he wants to meet about. I would like to see a ceasefire. I would like to see an agreement that is for both sides."
Trump attributed the current state of Russia's economy to the ongoing conflict, noting that the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on countries buying oil from Russia had a significant impact.
European leaders are tired of Russia-Ukraine war
Trump described the meeting with Russia as a "big deal".
"I'll be calling the European leaders. They're tired of it (the Russia-Ukraine war). They want to get back to spending money on their countries. They want to get back to building their own countries. They want it resolved."
"There are a lot of European leaders, and they rely on me very much. If it weren't for me, this thing would never get solved until the last person breathing is dead. It's going to be a good meeting, and we'll go a step further. We'll get it done. I'd like to see a ceasefire very, very quickly. I'd like to see it immediately," he added.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet on August 15 in Alaska, USA.