Trump's meeting with Putin puts Russia on notice over Ukraine

Russia was an indirect beneficiary of the warfare successful Gaza successful that it distracted the U.S. and different Western countries from its ongoing warfare successful Ukraine.

But present that there's a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas and a fledgling bid process has begun, U.S. President Donald Trump is turning his sights connected ending the warfare successful Ukraine.

The president said Thursday that helium and different "high-level advisors" volition meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Budapest, Hungary, to sermon however to extremity the war. It comes pursuing a telephone with the 2 leaders successful which Trump said Putin had congratulated him connected the "great accomplishment of bid successful the Middle East."

"President Putin and I volition past conscionable successful an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to spot if we tin bring this "inglorious" War, betwixt Russia and Ukraine, to an end. ... I judge large advancement was made with today's telephone conversation," Trump said successful a station connected Truth Social.

The gathering volition beryllium the 2nd clip the leaders person travel face-to-face during Trump's 2nd term, and could hap wrong the adjacent 2 weeks, according to the U.S. leader.

One mode the White House is turning the screws connected Moscow is by mooting the possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. Trump is owed to conscionable with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy astatine the White House connected Friday, with the leaders expected to sermon the matter.

Earlier successful the week, Trump told reporters that helium mightiness usage the Tomahawk missiles arsenic leverage with Russia, saying helium could archer Putin: "Look: if this warfare is not going to get settled, I'm going to nonstop them Tomahawks."

In different motion that the medication could beryllium acceptable to deepen its subject enactment for Kyiv, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised Wednesday that "firepower" was coming for Ukraine, though helium did not notation Tomahawks by name.

Trump made nary concealed this week of the information that helium and envoys were readying to instantly renew efforts to bring the warfare successful Ukraine to an extremity arsenic it approaches its 4th anniversary.

Addressing Israeli lawmakers connected Monday arsenic helium celebrated a ceasefire woody betwixt Hamas and Israel, Trump told the Knesset, Israel's parliament, "We person to get Russia done."

"Steve, let's absorption connected Russia first, alright? We'll get it [done]," Trump said, addressing the U.S.' Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Having boasted up of his 2nd word successful bureau that helium could get the Ukraine warfare to extremity successful conscionable "one day," he conceded that it had proved trickier than helium anticipated, noting: "I thought it would beryllium easy settled. I thought it was a hellhole of a batch easier than doing what we conscionable did [in Gaza]."

Victoria Coates, vice president astatine the Heritage Foundation's Davis Institute, told CNBC this week that the ceasefire woody betwixt Israel and Hamas would apt person an interaction connected the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The momentum down resolving the Gaza struggle tin assistance get to a solution of the Ukraine war," Coates, a lawman nationalist information advisor successful Trump's archetypal administration, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" connected Tuesday.

"All these different countries that the president was gathering with [this week], and getting them down struggle resolution, [can pb to] possibly putting immoderate unit connected Putin to travel to the table. So this tin person a affirmative effect connected Ukraine," she said.

The Kremlin appears to beryllium keen to amusement willingness successful moving toward ending the conflict, though critics (not slightest Ukraine) accidental that Russia is skilful astatine employing hold tactics truthful it tin prolong the warfare to marque territorial gains.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin reiterated Russia's position, vehemently disputed by Kyiv and its Western allies, that it was Ukrainian intransigence that was preventing an extremity to the warfare which Russia launched successful February 2022.

"Certainly, we invited specified intentions, we invited the confirmation of the governmental volition to assistance the hunt for peaceful solutions successful each imaginable way," Russian statesmanlike property caput Dmitry Peskov said connected Tuesday, successful comments reported by Interfax.

Russia "remains unfastened to and acceptable for a bid dialogue," Peskov said, adding that "we anticipation that the power of the United States and the diplomatic prowess of President Trump's envoys volition surely assistance punctual the Ukrainian broadside toward a greater readiness for a bid process."

CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for further remark connected its expectations for renewed talks with the U.S., and is awaiting a response.

Aside from touting the imaginable of giving Ukraine Tomahawks — which the Kremlin admitted past Sunday was of "extreme concern" — Trump has been putting unit connected Russia's allies, slapping tariffs connected India for buying Russian oil.

Trump, who precocious disparaged Russia arsenic a "paper tiger," has besides repeatedly threatened to enactment further sanctions connected Russia itself but has truthful acold held off, disappointing Kyiv and different Western partners.

Tomahawk talks could beryllium a turning constituent for Russia, according to Peter Dickinson, exertion of the Atlantic Council deliberation tank's Ukraine Alert publication. Dickinson connected Tuesday said that this volition beryllium the lawsuit if Trump is consenting to telephone Putin's bluff by pledging to proviso Tomahawks, careless of whether helium does extremity up doing so.

"Trump indispensable present determine whether helium volition telephone Putin's bluff and limb Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. There are mounting indications that helium whitethorn beryllium inclined to bash so," Dickinson said. 

"Trump present has an accidental to person his Russian counterpart that helium is not arsenic easy intimidated arsenic different Western leaders and is much than acceptable to summation the unit connected Moscow until Putin agrees to prosecute peace," he said successful an online analysis.

"Many of Trump's detractors volition nary uncertainty scoff astatine the thought of the U.S. president adopting specified a uncompromising stance toward Putin, but fewer nonsubjective observers would question that this attack is the lone mode to extremity the war," helium said.