‘You’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions on Ukraine, Trump says
Asked for his message to Russia’s Putin, Trump says:
“I have no message to President Putin, he knows where I stand.
He’ll make a decision one way or the other, whatever his decision is, we will either be happy about it or unhappy and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
Key events
8h ago
Closing summary
8h ago
Polish leaders welcome Trump’s words on US troops presence in Poland
8h ago
‘He should come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – video
9h ago
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives in Paris ahead of talks, with Macron declaring Europe ‘ready’ to provide guarantees
9h ago
Zelenskyy, European leaders to speak with Trump on Thursday, Élysée confirms
10h ago
Poland’s Nawrocki gets from Trump the big declaration he wanted – snap analysis
10h ago
Trump says ‘not happy’ with number of people dying in Russian invasion on Ukraine every week
10h ago
‘Never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland,’ Trump says
10h ago
‘You’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions on Ukraine, Trump says
10h ago
Trump gets annoyed at reporter for suggestions he took ‘no action’ against Putin
10h ago
US troops will stay in Poland, Trump declares
10h ago
Trump and Nawrocki speaking from Oval Office
10h ago
Poland’s Nawrocki meets US Trump at White House – live stream
11h ago
Poland’s Nawrocki arrives at White House – in pictures
11h ago
Poland’s Nawrocki arrives at White House to meet US Trump
11h ago
Putin’s Moscow suggestion ‘knowingly unacceptable,’ Ukrainian foreign minister says
11h ago
UK sanctions individuals, organisations involved in forced deportations of Ukrainian children
11h ago
‘In era of resurging Russian imperialism, deeper cooperation with US is fundamental,’ Poland’s former president Duda says
12h ago
No preparations for Trump’s visit to Russia, Putin says
12h ago
Putin signals readiness to raise seniority of Russia’s delegation for talks with Ukraine
12h ago
Putin appears unfazed by prospect of more EU sanctions, claiming Ukraine is ‘excuse’ for measures targeting Russia
12h ago
‘If common sense prevails, there is a way of ending this conflict,’ Putin says, but warns about ‘military means’ if no agreement
12h ago
‘Let him come to Moscow,’ Putin says about Zelenskyy
12h ago
‘Let Zelenskyy come to Moscow’ for meeting, Putin says
12h ago
Poland’s Nawrocki set to visit Trump for talks on security, Ukraine in his first foreign policy test
13h ago
‘You’re not only fighting your own war; you’re fighting for entire future of Europe,’ Denmark’s Frederiksen tells Zelenskyy
13h ago
Coalition of the Willing ‘will try’ to speak to Trump on Thursday to urge more pressure on Russia, Zelenskyy says
13h ago
Thursday’s meeting of the Coalition of the Willing to firm up plans for guarantees for Ukraine, Nato’s Rutte says
13h ago
Afternoon opening: Intense diplomatic work on Ukraine
Show key events only
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Closing summary
Jakub Krupa
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland (17:52, 18:08) and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House (15:50).
Trump’s comments were welcomed by Polish leaders (19:49), offering some relief after months of speculations about the future of US military presence in Poland (18:28).
During the meeting, Trump also said he was “not happy” with the number of people dying during the Russian invasion on Ukraine, and stressed he wanted it “stopped now” (18:18).
The US president said he would respond to Putin’s decision on the peace process, warning: “If we are unhappy about it, you will see things happen” (17:55).
The Washington meeting came just hours before tomorrow’s summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy set to join a group of leaders for futher talks on security guarantees for Ukraine.
The host, French president Emmanuel Macron, declared on Wednesday night that Europe was “ready to provide security guarantees” once a peace deal is agreed, signalling further progress in planning discussions behind the scenes (19:25).
The leaders will talk with Trump on Thursday to discuss next steps, the Élysée Palace confirmed (18:50).
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with the Nordic and Baltic leaders in Denmark (15:12, 15:16).
Meanwhile, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin suggested he would be ready to meet with Zelenskyy if the Ukrainian president came over to Moscow (16:01, 16:22, 19:40), an offer immediately rejected by Kyiv (17:16).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
SharePolish leaders welcome Trump’s words on US troops presence in Poland
Despite domestic political disagreements in the build up to Nawrocki’s visit to Washington, a number of senior Polish government figures have welcomed Trump’s reassurances that he was not looking to reduce the number of US troops in Poland.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, who will take part in tomorrow’s Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, said:
“President Trump has just declared that the United States had no plans, and does not plan in the future, to withdraw American troops from Poland. These are important words that confirm the timeless nature of our alliance.”
Deputy prime minister and defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said:
“An important declaration by President @realDonaldTrump about the presence of American troops in Poland. This is proof that the strategic [Polish-American] alliance, which is one of the foundations of our security, is extremely strong.”
Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said:
“It is good that President Trump confirmed the continued stationing of American troops in Poland. On matters of security, deterring Putin, and supporting Ukraine, the government and the opposition speak with one voice.”
Share‘He should come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – video
Here is a clip showing Vladimir Putin’s comments in Beijing, as he argued that Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy “should come to Moscow” for peace talks about the war.
Spoiler alert: Ukraine is not keen (17:16).
‘He should come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – videoShare
Updated at 13.42 EDT
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives in Paris ahead of talks, with Macron declaring Europe ‘ready’ to provide guarantees
Aaaand just like that:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just arrived at the Élysée Palace, welcomed by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, ahead of tomorrow’s talks with the Coalition of the Willing.
In his opening remarks, Macron said that building on the preparatory work by military planners, Europe was “ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and the Ukrainians” once a peace accord is agreed.
“The question now is to determine the sincerity of Russia and its successive commitments on peace talks made to the US,” he said.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ahead of a meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
Curiously, two diplomatic sources told Reuters that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is also in Paris, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting.
Updated at 13.32 EDT
Zelenskyy, European leaders to speak with Trump on Thursday, Élysée confirms
Meanwhile we are getting a bit more details on tomorrow’s summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris and online.
The Élysée Palace has confirmed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s suggestion earlier today (15:12), saying that the leaders will speak with US president Donald Trump by phone after their meeting.
The French president’s office said that one of the aims of the meeting is to say “we are capable, with regard to our American partners, of honouring the commitments we have made, while it is up to them to maintain or increase pressure on Russia,” AFP reported.
The call with Trump is expected around 1pm BST, 2pm CEST, with a press conference to follow later.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is expected in Paris very shortly, where he will meet for talks and dinner with the host, Emmanuel Macron.
Updated at 13.26 EDT
Poland’s Nawrocki gets from Trump the big declaration he wanted – snap analysisJakub Krupa
One should always be cautious about judging the visit from its first half hour, but you bet that Nawrocki’s officials in Warsaw are very pleased with that they just heard.
US president Donald Trump (R) welcomes Polish president Karol Nawrocki to the White House during an arrival ceremony at the South Portico. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Concerns about the future of the US military presence in Poland and the broader region have featured very prominently in the Polish public debate in recent months, with rumours and speculations about potential reduction of US troops in the country amid signals about the US looking to shift its focus and prioritise the Indo-Pacific region.
To get Trump to say in this meeting that he’s got no plans to do so (18:08) – or even that he could increase their presence (17:52) – is a big political win for Nawrocki and his allies.
When Poland controversially skipped the recent Zelenskyy-Trump meeting in the White House, Nawrocki’s aides argued their primary focus was on a bilateral agenda with the US, and this issue would feature prominently on their list coming into today’s meeting.
Obviously, you just never know with Trump as he can and often does change his views. But for now, that was exactly what Nawrocki and his team were hoping for.
Updated at 12.42 EDT
Trump says ‘not happy’ with number of people dying in Russian invasion on Ukraine every week
Asked what he will do to end the war, Trump says he will have a conversation with “him” – erm – “very shortly, and I will know pretty much what we are going to be doing.”
(It’s not entirely clear if he means Putin or Zelenskyy or Nawrocki, as confirmed by a desperate journalist asking “but who”)
“We’ve taken very strong action, as you know, and in other ways, we’ve taken very strong action, but I’ll be speaking to him over the next few days and we’re going to see,” he says.
He adds that he is “not happy” with the number of people being killed every week there.
“They’re human beings, their souls, they have parents. They wave goodbye to their parents, and their parents never see them again … I want to see it stopped now,” he says.
He then blames Biden for the Russian invasion on Ukraine, saying:
A big reason this war happened was sitting right in these chairs, this one in particular.
He ends by saying he thought the Russian invasion on Ukraine wouldn’t be that difficult to end, and “would be in the middle of the pack, maybe on of the easiest,” but adds:
“You never know with war. War is complex and dangerous and what a mess, what a bloody mess. It’s going to be done one way or the other. But they have to stop killing all of these souls.”
And that ends the press spray in the Oval Office.
Updated at 13.11 EDT
Trump hails his tariff policy now.
He also celebrates the US deal with the EU, saying “we made a deal with the European Union where they’re paying us almost a trillion dollars, and they’re happy to do it.”
“You know that? They’re happy it’s done.”
He talks about it in the context of the Supreme Court case on tariffs, which he says is going to be “very, very big.”
Share‘Never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland,’ Trump says
Asked about the US-Polish relations, Trump says Poland is in “a very special relationship” category.
He goes even further on his promise to not pull out any troops from Poland – but in the process confirms there are considerations about pulling some troops from other European countries.
“It’s like the question about the soldiers that was asked. We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland.
We do think about it with regard to other countries, but we would never … we’re with Poland all the way, and we will help Poland protect itself.”
Poland’s Nawrocki then says “it is the first time in Polish history … that the Poles are happy to have foreign soldiers in Poland.”
He says Poland is not a “free rider” within Nato as it spends 4.7% GDP on defence, and will reach the new 5% target soon.
Trump notes that “Poland was one of two nations that paid more than they were supposed to within Nato.”
Over the last few minutes, Trump has been mostly speaking about domestic US issues, including Venezuela and his anti-crime agenda.
So, here is a picture from inside the Oval Office:
US president Donald Trump (C-R) holds a bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C-L) in the Oval Office at the White House. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesShare
Trump was also earlier asked about the Chinese military parade, saying it was a “beautiful ceremony” and “very, very impression.”
He says the US should have been acknowledged in speeches “for helping China to gain its freedom.”
“But I understood the reason they were doing it, and they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching. My relationship with all of them is very good.
We’re going to find out how good it is over the next week or two.”
Share‘You’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions on Ukraine, Trump says
Asked for his message to Russia’s Putin, Trump says:
“I have no message to President Putin, he knows where I stand.
He’ll make a decision one way or the other, whatever his decision is, we will either be happy about it or unhappy and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
ShareTrump gets annoyed at reporter for suggestions he took ‘no action’ against Putin
Trump angrily reacts to a suggestion from a Polish reporter that he has not followed up on his warnings to Putin, despite the Russian president still not agreeing to a meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy.
“How do you know this? How do you know there’s no action? Really?,” he says.
He points to sanctions on India that “cost hundreds of billions of dollars.”
“You call that no action, and I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three, but when you say there’s no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” he says.
ShareUS troops will stay in Poland, Trump declares
Straight away, we have a big declaration that Poland will be very happy with.
Asked about the US military posture in Poland and whether the US troops will remain there, Trump says:
“I think so. I mean, do you know something I don’t? [I’m] very happy. If anything, we can put more there, if they want; they’ve long wanted to have a larger presence.
We have some countries that have more, not too many, but no, they will be staying in Poland. We are very much aligned with Poland.”