US President Donald Trump said he would make an "important" decision in two weeks on peace efforts in Ukraine. The Republican specified that Moscow could face massive sanctions or that he could take no action.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was "not happy" with the Russian strike on August 21 that hit a US-owned factory in Ukraine, "and I'm not happy with anything related to this war."

The Republican said he first wanted to see whether the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, would meet.

"I think I'll understand. I think I'll understand the attitude of Russia and, frankly, Ukraine. It takes two," Trump said when asked what he would do at the end of the two-week deadline he had set for assessing the state of the peace talks.

"Then I will make a decision on what to do, and it will be a very important decision. Whether it will be massive sanctions or massive tariffs, or both. Or we will do nothing and say that this is your fight," the American leader added.

Trump, who showed a photo of himself and Putin from their recent summit in Alaska, which he said was sent by the Kremlin leader, repeatedly announced deadlines of about two weeks for decisions on Ukraine and other issues. Many of those deadlines did not materialize.

Russia rejected the possibility of an immediate meeting with Zelensky, even though on August 18, after his meeting with Ukrainian and European leaders, Trump said he was organizing a summit.

On August 22, Trump said that organizing a summit between Zelensky and Putin was as difficult as mixing "oil and vinegar."

"We'll see if Putin and Zelensky will work together. You know, it's a little like oil and vinegar. They don't get along very well, for obvious reasons," the Republican said.

Trump added that "we'll see" if he would have to attend such a meeting. | BGNES