Trump rejects tougher Russia sanctions, believing peace is close
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will not tighten sanctions against Russia because he believes the parties have never been this close to a deal on Ukraine.
"I had a very good and very fast negotiation with President Putin. If you were to put those sanctions on him, or whatever you want to call him, you could forget about him. The other thing, very important, we're negotiating with Russia right now on Ukraine. Uh, we are maybe close to a deal," Trump says.
According to the US President, it is not worth increasing pressure on Moscow right now, as the negotiations are at a delicate stage.
"For the first time in a long time, we're maybe close to a deal. When you're close to a deal, and you have very delicate negotiations, you don't put sanctions on," he explains.
Trump emphasizes that he could impose new restrictions on Russia at any time, but he does not specify the conditions under which he would do so.
According to media reports, Trump wants Zelenskyy and Putin to sign a peace agreement at the G20 summit in Florida in December. The negotiations may be accompanied by pressure on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Moscow is reportedly ready to return to negotiations with Ukraine and the US. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced the preconditions for a ceasefire after meeting with Putin and brought the relevant documents to Moscow. At the same time, Ukraine, the US, and Europe held trilateral consultations in Norway, where they developed new peace initiatives.
Last week, Trump suspended the sanctions bill against Russia, explaining that he did not want to push Moscow away from the negotiations. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, stated that Washington's actions appear to be an attempt to pressure Ukraine into capitulation.
