US media: Trump-Putin meeting is no longer a exploratory meeting, Putin's failure to cease fire "will have serious consequences"

Three people who participated in Trump's summit discussions asserted that he was not bluffing, and that this was no longer the "feeling out meeting" he had previously described. He privately told the Ukrainian president and NATO leaders that his goal was a ceasefire, then publicly threatened Putin with "very serious consequences" if he did not agree to a halt to the fighting. "This was the most serious and direct statement Trump has ever made. He wanted to show the world this," said a senior US official. "Now the onus is on Putin: agree to a ceasefire or show real action, or face serious consequences," the official continued. "Putin must demonstrate very positive action." Another US official insisted that Putin "reached out to Trump" and then requested the meeting, and now he must deliver. But if the meeting fails and there are no severe consequences, Trump's threats will seem even more hollow in the future.