Trump holds off on Kremlin sanctions: 'We'll see how Russia behaves'
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is not going to impose sanctions on Russia yet. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said it is necessary to see Moscow's next steps.
Trump was responding to journalists' questions about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent comments on sanctions after a phone call between them the day before.
The American leader said that the issue of strengthening sanctions against Russia would be his determination - and nobody else.
“We'll see how Russia behaves. We'll see what's gonna happen,” Trump said.
The US president called the current stage of Russia's war against Ukraine a “critical time” and recalled what he had said to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and European leaders.
“We have a pretty critical time right now. I had a talk yesterday for two and a half hours with President Putin. as you know. I also spoke to all of the European - or to many of them - leaders but they were representing the whole (of Europe ed.). And I think we had very good conversations yesterday,” he added.
Sanctions against Russia
European leaders have promised to impose additional sanctions against Russia if it refuses to cease fire. Such statements were made by Britain, France, and Germany.
US President Donald Trump also stated that he was considering sanctions, but there was no final answer. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it depends on the United States whether Russia will continue to make money from the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained why the United States was in no hurry to impose sanctions on Russia. According to him, Moscow may allegedly withdraw from the negotiations if new restrictions are imposed.
