Gordon Sondland, the former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told Newsmax on Friday that if no settlement is reached, European leaders will pressure Russia to retreat from Ukraine, warning they see its occupation as a step toward threatening NATO members.
Speaking to "American Agenda" ahead of a high-stakes summit in Alaska between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sondland described how Trump might deliver the message.
"The Europeans are not going to allow you to keep Ukraine the way it currently is, because they view this as just the first step toward EU members and other NATO members. So you're going to have to back off," he said.
Sondland said Trump has "positioned this so perfectly from the U.S. standpoint" by putting European nations "out front" as the main suppliers of weapons and financial support to Ukraine.
"We have a lot of economic incentives. … But if you don't do that, I'm going to squeeze your economy so hard, you're not going to have any money left to prosecute a war. Your presidency will likely end," Sondland said, referring to Putin.
He added that European allies would "crush" Russia militarily with U.S. assistance if diplomacy failed. "We're going to give them all the weapons to do that. So why don't we do something positive here instead of continuing to go around the same circle?"
Sondland expressed disappointment that the opening session had shifted from a one-on-one format to a three-on-three meeting that includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"I was hopeful that President Trump and President Putin would spend some time, one-on-one, even without interpreters, because President Putin's English is just fine," Sondland said.
That setting, he argued, would give Trump the chance to directly warn Putin, "Vladimir, don't F with me."
He speculated the schedule might still allow a private Trump-Putin meeting before expanding to include other participants to address ceasefire details and economic incentives.
"The first two meetings I would call the 'stick' meetings," he said, noting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would join later discussions.
As for Lavrov, Sondland described the Russian diplomat as "usually counterproductive" and "kind of a jerk," accusing him of symbolically clinging to the Soviet past.
"The glory days are gone and they're not coming back," he said. "The most Russia can hope for is normalizing relations."
Trump and Putin shook hands Friday afternoon at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where a stage bearing the "Alaska 2025" summit sign was flanked by U.S. fighter jets. The two were set for hours of discussions on Ukraine and the future of U.S.-Russia relations.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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