Trump: "Putin will not stop with Ukraine, this is only the beginning"

U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin's territorial claims might not be limited to Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference held on June 25 in The Hague during the NATO summit, he addressed this issue directly, saying, "I think that is not out of the question."

According to Trump, Putin wants to end the war because it has “completely turned into confusion” for him. He stated that the Russian leader recently called him and offered help on the Iran issue. However, Trump said he responded by noting, “it’s more beneficial to cooperate with Russia on other matters.”

The American politician called Putin a “lost person” and expressed regret, saying: “I thought I would solve this problem much more easily.” When journalists asked why his campaign promise to end the war within five months had not been fulfilled, he replied, “Putin turned out to be a very tough person, and there were also some problems with Zelensky.”

Yesterday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, during the meeting, “he was only interested in Zelensky's condition,” meaning the issue of ceasefire was not discussed. “I want to talk to Putin again. We need to find out whether it is possible to stop this or not. Nearly 7,000 soldiers died last week. This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Trump said.

Zelensky, in turn, stated that he held negotiations on Patriot defense systems and cooperation with the U.S. in drone production. He also said he informed Trump about the negotiations with the Russian delegation in Istanbul, and the matters of prisoner and body exchanges. “We discussed the realities on the battlefield. Putin is not winning. I presented real facts,” said Zelensky.

At the same time, Western countries and military analysts fear that the Russian president may be preparing a broad attack against NATO. They assume that within the next 3–5 years, a threat might emerge against the Baltic states — Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia.

It is noteworthy that Putin's military spending has reached 7% of the gross domestic product, which equals one-third of the national budget. At the same time, Russia continues to rapidly build new army bases, weapon depots, and headquarters in border regions with Finland and the Baltic states. This could indicate a serious escalation of threat. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!