“That’s not my problem”: Trump changes his stance on the war in Ukraine – The New York Times

Donald Trump’s new position on the war in Ukraine: “It’s not my problem.”

That’s according to The New York Times.

“The U.S. president appears to have declined to join Europe’s push for new sanctions against Russia, instead seeking to move toward making business deals with Moscow,” the article states.

According to U.S. officials cited by the newspaper, additional sanctions on Russia would limit opportunities for American businesses, which Trump is aiming to expand.

“Trump is looking to help U.S. companies profit from Russia’s energy sector and rare earth minerals, as well as other potential investment areas. As a result, Europe is moving toward tougher sanctions, while the U.S. appears to be heading in the opposite direction—sidestepping Ukraine and aiming to establish broader relations with Russia,” European leaders reportedly told NYT.

Officials also said that the U.S. no longer wants to invest heavily in Ukraine.

“The subtext of Trump’s phone conversations with Zelensky and European leaders (which followed his call with Putin) is that the era of American spending on diplomatic energy, new weapons for Ukraine, and economic pressure on Russia is rapidly coming to an end. Several European officials said not to expect the U.S. to join them in applying further financial pressure on Putin anytime soon,” the NYT writes.

Trump reportedly told Zelensky and European leaders that Moscow and Kyiv must find their own solution to end the war.

The New York Times concludes that Trump appears to be pulling out of negotiations on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Six officials familiar with the discussions told NYT that Trump has backed away from his own previous threats to join European sanctions if Russia refused to cease hostilities. A senior European official noted that Trump likely never intended to support sanctions, even in that case.

Some European leaders believe Trump’s true goal is to normalize relations between Washington and Moscow.

Disagreements between the U.S. and Europe over support for Ukraine are expected to peak during two key summits: the G7 summit in Canada in mid-June, and the NATO summit a week later in The Hague.

As a reminder, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that Trump believes the threat of new American sanctions would drive Russia away from negotiations over Ukraine.