In The Hague, Trump was urged to increase pressure on Russia but remained indecisive – Czech president
Czech President Petr Pavel has said that at a closed-door dinner during the NATO summit in The Hague, leaders tried to persuade White House chief Donald Trump to increase pressure on Russia, but he remained indecisive.
Source: Euractiv; European Pravda
Details: Pavel recalled that he and other leaders spoke to Trump "very consistently and collectively", trying to convince him that it was time to significantly increase economic pressure on Russia.
"Not with the aim of causing Russia’s economic collapse – that’s not in our interest – but to make it realise that there’s simply no alternative to negotiation," he added.
Meanwhile, the Czech president said that Trump "remained reserved for now, but he is aware that this is a very effective tool".
When Trump pointed out his previous success in relations with China during dinner, claiming that high tariffs had forced Beijing to change its position, Pavel used this argument to reinforce his point of view in the context of pressure on Russia.
"I said: ‘You see, this is exactly the kind of decisive approach we now need toward Russia. If China felt it within a month, then Russia, with its economy, might feel it within a week or two’," he said.
Background:
- On 25 June, the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance agreed that the commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defence would consist of two categories of defence investment.
- NATO members, including the United States and Hungary, also agreed that aid to Ukraine’s Armed Forces will count towards defence spending.
Read the full text in the article: NATO declaration on Ukraine and defence spending: full text with explanations
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