Sanctions against Russia hurt US, - Trump
US President Donald Trump said that he is not ready to impose additional sanctions on Russia.
According to Censor.NET, citing Politico, Trump said this at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the G7 summit in Canada.
Trump stressed that the first step should be taken by Europe, as sanctions cost the United States "billions of dollars" and are not a simple tool of pressure. He added that he was not going to increase the pressure, as he hoped to make progress in the peace talks on Ukraine.
The European Union and the the United Kingdom insist on a coordinated increase in sanctions pressure on Vladimir Putin's regime in connection with the continuation of the war against Ukraine. However, the US President is currently refusing to sign new restrictive measures.
In response to journalists' questions about possible solidarity with European partners, Trump said: "Europe is saying that, but they haven't done it yet. Let's see them do it first".
The White House chief stressed that the imposition of sanctions is a complex and costly process for the US economy.
"When I sanction a country, that costs the U.S. a lot of money — a tremendous amount of money. It's not just, let's sign a document. You're talking about billions and billions of dollars", he said stressing that sanctions are not a "one-way street."
Trump also noted that he prefers the diplomatic route and seeks to make progress in peace talks on Ukraine before deciding to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.
As a reminder, the Council of the European Union has extended the sanctions imposed in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation for another year, until 23 June 2026.
