Trump may impose sanctions on Russia this week or pull out of Ukraine talks - WSJ
US President Donald Trump is considering imposing sanctions on Russia this week as he becomes increasingly dissatisfied with Russia's attacks on Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, the Wall Street Journal reports this with reference to sources.
According to one of the sources, the restrictions, if imposed, will not include new banking sanctions, but other options are being discussed to put pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to make concessions at the negotiating table, including agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia has consistently rejected.
On Sunday, Trump said he was considering sanctions after last weekend's massive strike on Ukraine. Later, he again sharply criticised Putin, saying that in his opinion, he was "absolutely crazy".
The WSJ writes, citing its sources, that Trump is tired of attempts at a peaceful settlement and is considering abandoning them if his efforts do not work. At the same time, it is not yet clear what will happen if the US withdraws from the negotiation process and whether Trump will continue to provide military support to Kyiv, the newspaper writes.
"President Trump has made it clear that he wants to see a negotiated peace agreement," the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to the WSJ.
The New York Times also wrote about Washington's possible withdrawal from the talks, but its sources noted that Trump had made it clear to European leaders that he did not intend to increase sanctions pressure on Moscow.
For several weeks, Trump had resisted pressure to rebuke Putin for refusing to agree to a ceasefire supported by Ukraine.
But, according to WSJ sources, three key thoughts influenced Trump's thinking.
First is his dislike of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who Trump believes is "encouraging further conflict" by pushing for sanctions even though Zelenskyy has agreed to a ceasefire.
Second, Trump believed that additional sanctions against Russia would not limit its ability to wage war, but would complicate efforts to restore US-Russian economic ties.
Third, Trump believed that he knew Putin and that the Russian leader would end the war as a personal favour. However, Putin's unwillingness to concede has tarnished Trump's opinion of his Russian counterpart, especially after a phone call last week during which Putin refused to sign a ceasefire agreement.
