President Donald Trump is reportedly considering imposing new sanctions on Russia in the coming days, driven by his frustration with President Vladimir Putin’s recent aerial attacks on Ukraine over the weekend, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Options for further punitive measures against Moscow have been formulated in recent weeks, though President Trump has yet to approve their implementation. However, following a sustained missile and drone bombardment that resulted in numerous casualties, the president indicated on Sunday that he would “absolutely” consider new sanctions. This sentiment was echoed in a Truth Social post on Tuesday where President Trump wrote, “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
Despite this rhetoric, sources suggest President Trump could still decide against imposing the new sanctions, aligning with previous instances where he has refrained from targeting Russia despite expressing concerns over its actions in Ukraine. Privately, President Trump has reportedly expressed concerns that increased sanctions could impede potential peace negotiations with Russia.
Meanwhile, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are actively lobbying President Trump to significantly escalate US sanctions against Russia in response to the recent attacks. “All of us, by our public statements as well as private contacts, are pressing very, very hard,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told CNN on Monday. Senator Blumenthal is a key proponent of a bipartisan Senate bill, co-sponsored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, which seeks to implement “crippling” new sanctions on Moscow. This bill includes “secondary sanctions,” such as imposing massive 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy. To date, over 80 senators have endorsed the bipartisan legislation.
A European official revealed that President Trump, following a conversation with President Putin last week, informed European leaders during a telephone call that he would not, for the time being, join them in applying new sanctions on Moscow, despite earlier signals of a potentially tougher stance towards Putin.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, the day after the Trump-Putin phone call, stated that President Trump “believes, that right now if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking, and there is value in us being able to talk to them and to drive them to get to the table.” Secretary Rubio added, “Like we will see, look they have to do this, no one is claiming that this is a guarantee.”
In response to President Trump’s recent remarks, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed hope that the US leader would reconsider his approach. “President Trump realizes that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied,” President Macron said on Monday. “We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger. A form of impatience. I simply hope now that this translates into action.”
President Trump has previously mentioned the possibility of new sanctions targeting Russia’s banking sector and secondary sanctions on entities purchasing Russian energy products. While both of these options have been under consideration, the specific measures President Trump is contemplating in the wake of Russia’s recent bombardment in Ukraine remain unclear.
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