Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax TV on Sunday it was “impossible to get into the mind of Vladimir Putin because it is sick and twisted, and probably not logical,” adding he guessed Putin would avoid confronting “the most powerful military in the world,” the United States. President Donald Trump’s deadline for Moscow to show movement toward ending the war expires Friday.
Whitaker said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow on Wednesday, citing Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, and would remind the Kremlin of Trump’s ultimatum.
Trump has threatened sanctions on Russia and on purchasers of its exports unless progress is made. Whitaker said Putin “knows that his only source of income right now, in a major way, is oil and gas exports,” and that U.S. measures could include “significant, impacting tariffs” on Russian shipments to India, China and Brazil.
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Source: PAP