President Trump is considering imposing sanctions on Moscow this week as he becomes increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's ongoing attacks on Ukraine and the slow pace of peace talks, writes Wall Street Journal citing informed sources.
According to one of the interlocutors, the restrictions are unlikely to affect Russian banks, but other options are being discussed to pressure Putin to make concessions at the negotiating table, including a 30-day ceasefire. However, Trump may reconsider increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.
«Judging by these comments, President Trump understands President Putin», — said William Taylor, former US ambassador to Ukraine. «The question is, is this serious? Is it enough to take some steps, impose some sanctions?»
In addition, the head of the White House is tired of the negotiations on Ukraine and is considering the possibility of withdrawing from them, noted the interlocutors of the publication. In this scenario, the prospect of further military support for Ukraine remains unclear.
«President Trump has made it clear that he wants to see a peace agreement reached through negotiations», — said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement for WSJ.
As the publication notes, these events indicate a new deterioration in relations between the US and Russia, which have experienced ups and downs in recent months. Upon taking office, Trump believed he was in a unique position to improve relations between the two countries thanks to «strong personal relationships» with Putin.
However, Trump has failed to secure serious concessions from the Kremlin on making peace with Ukraine, and recently Putin has intensified the war. A few hours after Trump's Sunday comments, Russia launched the largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine in history on Monday night. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that more than 350 drones with explosives and at least nine cruise missiles were launched. The Russians called these strikes retaliation for Ukrainian bombings on Russian territory.
Photo: Reuters