Trump on Ukraine talks: Put up or shut up

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that, in his view, negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are progressing well, but stressed that "there’s a point at which you just have to either put up or shut up".

Source: Trump aboard Air Force One, as quoted by Reuters

Details: Reuters noted that Trump made this remark to journalists a day after expressing frustration with Russia and urging it to "get moving" towards reaching a deal.

Quote from Trump: "I think Ukraine-Russia might be going OK, and you’re going to be finding out pretty soon.

There’s a point at which you just have to either put up or shut up and we'll see what happens, but I think it’s going fine."

Details: On Friday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin on "aspects of a Ukrainian settlement".

The talks took place as US-Russia dialogue aimed at securing a ceasefire ahead of a potential peace deal appeared to have stalled due to disagreements over the terms for a full cessation of hostilities.

Quote from Reuters: "Trump has shown signs of losing patience and has spoken of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is dragging its feet on a deal."

For reference: The Cambridge Dictionary explains the idiom "put up or shut up", used by Trump, as meaning that someone should either take action to do what they’ve been talking about or stop talking about it altogether.

Background:

• Trump urged Russia to take steps to end its full-scale war against Ukraine.
• Trump, who has promised a quick ceasefire in Ukraine, has been increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with Moscow's actions in recent days.
• In particular, he said he was "very angry" after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin questioned the legitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and was outraged by Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities.
• Meanwhile, media reports suggested that senior Trump administration officials have begun to acknowledge that the US may not be able to reach a peace deal on Ukraine in the next few months due to additional conditions imposed by Moscow during negotiations. 

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