Kurt Volker, former special representative for Ukraine negotiations, told Newsmax on Monday that Russia is "not ready to have a ceasefire" despite ongoing negotiations.
President Donald Trump on Monday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about a potential ceasefire in the ongoing war between their countries.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press conference on Monday that Trump has "grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict. He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible."
Volker said on "Wake Up America" that he doesn't think Putin "is ready to have a ceasefire as much as Trump wants it."
He added, "Putin feels that he can continue to attack" Ukraine and that "he might still gain some territory."
Volker said Putin is "planning a major offensive this summer," and predicted that "it will fizzle, but he wants to play that out as well. Putin is just not ready to lay down arms at this stage."
He continued, "I think it's great that President Trump is turning up the pressure, leaning in more and more, the U.S. and Ukraine are aligned now in calling for a cease fire. But I think it's going to take a lot more time and pressure on Putin before Putin is ready."
Volker added that while the negotiations are ongoing, "there's a lot more that can and should be done to go after Putin's finances."
He said, "We have some sanctions in place" and Russia is "in a deficit. They are burning through hard currency, but they still have a lot. And I think that we could tighten up the sanctions through secondary sanctions [on] people who are helping Russia avoid the preliminary sanctions."
Volker noted that the U.S. "could also make clear that," thanks to the minerals deal with the Trump administration, "Ukraine is going to keep buying American weapons and they're going to have what they need. So this is only going to get worse for Putin over time. I think both sides, the economic and the military, are necessary."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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