Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the largest military conscription in Russia since 2011 Tuesday as peace talks with Ukraine stall out.
Putin is aiming to enlist 160,000 men between 18 and 30 years old from April to July 2025 as Russia aims to further expand its military. President Donald Trump, who has negotiated with both countries, said in an NBC News interview Sunday that he was “pissed off” at Putin for allegedly stalling peace progress.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also accused Putin of dragging out peace talks on Mar. 27, saying Russia was “not ready” for a ceasefire and urged Trump to put “strong pressure” on Russia.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Trump’s frustrations in a press conference Tuesday.
Ceasefire talks have so far only been incremental, with Putin most recently agreeing to a temporary ceasefire on commercial maritime vessels the Black Sea Mar. 25.
Putin’s order comes as at least 100,000 Russian soldiers have died in its war with Ukraine, however exact estimates vary widely. Russia’s last conscription of comparable scale called for 200,000 men in the spring of 2011.
The war has been characterized by brutal attrition for both Russian and Ukrainian armies, with front line advances grinding to a halt after Ukraine recaptured territory in the north near Kiev in the early stages of the war.
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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