Trump: European leaders will visit US to discuss war in Ukraine

2025-09-08 07:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Donald Trump announced that European leaders will visit the United States on Monday or Tuesday to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. The US president added that he would also speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon” and signaled that his administration was ready to move to a second phase of sanctions on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the sanctions were the "right idea" and called on European countries to stop buying Russian energy. It comes as Russia launched its biggest airstrikes on Ukraine so far in the war, killing four people and hitting Ukraine's main government building in Kiev for the first time.

After the attack, during which Russia launched at least 810 drones and 13 missiles towards Ukraine, Trump said he was "not happy with the whole situation".

"Some European leaders will be coming individually to our country on Monday or Tuesday," Trump said.

Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine since Trump and Putin held a summit in Alaska last month. Speaking to ABC News, Zelensky said that continuing to buy Russian oil and gas from European partners was "not fair."

Zelensky also welcomed Trump's plans to impose secondary tariffs on countries that trade with Russia - aimed at hindering Moscow's ability to finance the war.

"We need to stop buying any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deal with Russia. We can't have any deals if we want to stop them. I think the idea of ??imposing tariffs on countries that continue to make deals with Russia is the right idea," he said.

Russia has sold around $985 billion (£729 billion) of oil and gas since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The biggest buyers have been China and India. The EU has significantly reduced - but not completely stopped - purchases of Russian energy. In June, Brussels presented plans to end all purchases by 2027.

Last month, the US imposed a 50% tariff on goods from India in retaliation for its continued purchase of Russian oil. The Indian government has said it will continue to pursue the “best deal” for oil purchases for the economic interests of its people. And at a meeting in Beijing last week, Russia said it would increase gas supplies to China.

Zelensky's intervention comes as the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries, which includes Russia, has agreed again to increase production, a move that will put downward pressure on oil prices. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the U.S. was seeking more support from the EU to impose secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.

Bessent said that if EU countries were to increase sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.

He added: "We are in a race now between how long the Ukrainian army can hold out and how long the Russian economy can hold out."/ CNA, translated by BBC