President Donald Trump reminded Russia “very, very tough” sanctions loom if it kills peace talks, saying Ukraine would suffer the same fate if he felt they hadn’t done their part to keep talks going.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined President Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday morning for a conversation the German press briefed beforehand he hoped could be used to push the U.S. leader towards greater support for Kyiv. Responding to a question from the floor about the willingness of the U.S. to launch major new sanctions against the Russian Federation, Trump said he would punish any country that stood in the way of the peace process.

Stating he would stand back with further screw-tightening until it became clear talks had either collapsed or were being strung along with no intent

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