President Donald Trump said Friday he is “strongly considering” imposing new “large-scale” sanctions and tariffs on Russia to compel a permanent end to the Russia-Ukraine war—but said hours later “it may be easier dealing with Russia” versus Ukraine to end the war.
President Trump signs multiple executive orders from the Oval Office of the White House in ... [+]
Trump said he is “finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine,” he told reporters from the Oval Office Friday, adding that he believes Putin wants peace, but acknowledging “they’re bombing the hell out of Ukraine” after Russia launched one of it’s largest attacks on Ukraine overnight, firing a total of 261 missiles and drones in various regions, Ukrainian officials said, according to multiple reports.
Trump said earlier Friday on Truth Social he’s looking at “Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED,” citing “the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.”
The statement echoes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said a day earlier during a speech at the Economic Club of New York the U.S. is prepared to go “all in” on sanctions against Russia,” adding the sanctions “will be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact,” Bloomberg reported.
The warnings contradict a report in Reuters earlier this week that the White House was eyeing an agreement to ease sanctions against Russia to improve relations as it works to negotiate a cease fire agreement and permanent end to the war, according to unnamed sources cited by Reuters.
Trump’s threat comes as Ukraine and the U.S. have indicated they are working to rebuild their relationship after Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an Oval Office meeting last week, accusing him of being unappreciative of US aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz next week in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff told reporters Thursday. Witkoff said a letter Zelenskyy sent Trump expressing a desire to mend relations was the catalyst for the meeting. In a post on X Tuesday, Zelenskyy said “we really do value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence,” calling the Oval Office argument “regrettable” and writing that “it is time to make things right.”
Zelenskyy also said on X that Ukraine is prepared to sign off on the agreement to share natural resources revenue with the U.S. as the Trump administration views the deal as a critical component toward reaching a plan to end the war. A signing ceremony for the deal planned for Zelenskyy’s Oval Office visit was cancelled after his showdown with Trump and Vance. Zelenskyy was previously opposed to the deal without security assurances from the U.S. and involvement in negotiations with Russia.
Trump has become increasingly aggressive and combative against Ukraine in recent weeks in a bid to pressure the country to make concessions to Russia in order to end the war. After his Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy, he announced Monday he would pause military aid to Ukraine. His administration announced Wednesday it would stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine, and Trump said Thursday he is considering revoking temporary legal status for the 240,000-some Ukrainians who took refuge from the war in the U.S.
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