Putin is close to finally burning the "golden bridge" offered by Trump to restore relations with the US, said Politico a source in the White House. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump indicated that his patience with Vladimir Putin is running out, warning the Russian leader that he is "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in serious peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, according to four American officials, Trump has not yet decided to impose new sanctions against Russia, and without his approval, the bill could be blocked in the House of Representatives.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he is "absolutely" considering imposing additional economic sanctions against Russia, and called Putin "absolutely crazy" in his social media post. However, no action has been taken yet.
"Right now, I am very, very skeptical that Trump will ever implement any serious sanctions or measures against Russia," said Kurt Volker, who served as Trump's special envoy to Ukraine during his first term. "He had so many opportunities to do this, but he always avoided it."
According to two sources, after a phone conversation with Putin, Trump justified himself to European partners for Putin's unwillingness to participate in peace talks. The US president suggested that Putin might have refused to participate in ceasefire talks after the threat of new economic sanctions from Europe and the US.
Meanwhile, several Republican lawmakers are now trying to push Trump to impose sanctions. The Republican Senate leadership supports a bipartisan sanctions bill, but it is waiting for an official "green light" from Trump. Republicans fear that without Trump's blessing, the bill may not pass the House of Representatives, where the leadership does not want to confront the president. And if he officially opposes strengthening sanctions, it could weaken support for the bill or force Republicans to officially break with Trump.
Majority Leader John Thune stated that the sanctions bill will easily pass in the Senate and that he will support bringing it to a vote. But he also showed caution not to get ahead of the administration. If Russia "does not engage in serious diplomacy, the Senate will work with the administration to consider additional sanctions," he said last week.
Republican Senator John Barrasso wrote in his post on the X site on Tuesday that "if Russia drags its feet, the Senate will act decisively to achieve lasting peace."
Meanwhile, as writes The New York Times, Senator Lindsey Graham reported that his proposed bill to impose 500-percent tariffs against buyers of Russian oil and gas already has 82 co-authors. This is enough to overcome a possible presidential veto. "President Trump asked Vladimir Putin to provide the main provisions outlining the requirements for a ceasefire... Depending on how Russia responds, we will know which course to take," Graham explained the further sequence of actions.
European officials and long-time observers of Russia note that Moscow is trying to separate the war in Ukraine from broader Russian-American relations, in which both Putin and Trump see significant potential for economic rapprochement.
"Russia wants to conduct large-scale trade with the United States when this disastrous "bloodbath" ends, and I agree," wrote Trump on social media after his last conversation with Putin.
Photo: AP