US prepares sanctions move after laying down ultimatum to Russia

The outlet reports that in the coming days, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin, marking the first high-level diplomatic contact after more than six months of deadlock.

Sources familiar with the negotiations say Witkoff has been advised to take a tougher stance toward Moscow, amid growing frustration from Trump over Russia's continued strikes on Ukrainian civilian cities.

However, the president himself has not yet announced a final decision on potential new sanctions.

"We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow, we’re going to see what happens. We'll make a determination at that time," Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

He also denied earlier claims that he had already promised to impose 100% tariffs on Russian goods.

Ahead of the talks, several National Security Council meetings have taken place at the White House to coordinate US policy on the war in Ukraine.

Sources say the discussions are centered on possible new measures to pressure Russia, including secondary sanctions or targeting Moscow's partners that continue buying Russian oil.

Despite Trump's tough talk, Washington is not ruling out the possibility of a negotiated deal with the Kremlin.

According to sources, the US is insisting on a peace agreement that would stop the fighting on terms acceptable to Kyiv.

Trump's ultimatum

Trump recently shortened his ultimatum to Russia from 50 days to just 10. If Putin refuses to take meaningful steps toward a ceasefire, the U.S. will impose harsh sanctions.

On August 1, Putin claimed that Russia is ready to negotiate peace, but only based on its original demands, which include full occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, among others.

Trump has stated that since the beginning of the year, Russia has lost 112,500 troops, including 20,000 killed in July alone.