White House may pull out of Ukraine talks

US President Donald Trump has said the United States may consider withdrawing from the ongoing talks on Ukraine if they fail to produce results . He said Washington will suspend its participation in the talks if a substantive agreement is not reached within the next two weeks.

Trump said he expects a constructive approach from Russia and expressed hope that Vladimir Putin will try to refrain from large-scale attacks against Ukraine.

"The negotiations are very active right now, and we expect significant progress in the coming days," Trump said. He said the United States has increased pressure on Russia, but any agreement cannot be reached without the consent of both sides. The president described the situation as "like tango - it takes two to do it."

Trump specifically focused on Crimea, saying it was unlikely that the peninsula would ever return to Ukrainian control. The territory, he said, had been annexed by Russia almost without resistance: "There wasn't even a shot fired there, Kiev just handed it over," he said.

Responding to questions about new sanctions against Russia, Trump said the issue could be discussed "at least a week from now."

The German newspaper Bild reported that Kiev is preparing for a reduction in US aid. According to the publication, Ukrainian diplomats do not consider the peace terms proposed by Trump to be acceptable.