Trump still considering sanctions on Russia even after ‘successful’ call with Putin

Donald Trump is still looking at sanctions against Russia, even after what he called a “very good and productive” phone call with Vladimir Putin. The two-hour conversation covered an immediate ceasefire on energy and infrastructure attacks, a broader peace deal, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

But despite all that talk, Russia has not agreed to a full ceasefire, and Trump is once again threatening economic pressure if Moscow doesn’t cooperate.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he and Putin agreed to move toward a “complete ceasefire”, adding that the war “would have never started” if he had been in office earlier. He said both Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy want the war to end, and that negotiations are now in full force. But while Trump is claiming progress, his team is preparing to ramp up economic punishment if Moscow doesn’t follow through.

Trump threatens stronger sanctions if Russia refuses to commit

Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has pressured Kyiv to negotiate, arguing that Zelenskyy is not in a strong position. “He does not have the cards,” Trump said, making it clear that he believes Ukraine will have to make concessions. However, Trump hasn’t explained what he expects Russia to offer in return.

In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Trump said his call with Putin lasted almost two hours and covered “a lot of things, and toward getting it to peace.” Ingraham pressed him on why he failed to secure the 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine had agreed to last week. Trump responded:

“Well, you have a situation where you have a lot of guns pointing at each other, foolishly, because it would have never happened if I were president. That was not a war that was supposed to happen.”

Trump has warned that he could take aggressive financial steps against Russia if it doesn’t commit to peace. “There are things you could do that wouldn’t be pleasant in a financial sense,” he said last week. He later wrote on Truth Social:

“I am strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions, tariffs, and more on Russia until a final settlement agreement on peace is reached.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Biden’s past sanctions on Moscow were a six out of ten in severity. “We have kept those sanctions on and Trump has instructed me that if we need to, we will go to a ten with sanctions to bring Putin to the table,” Bessent said.

He added that all options are on the table for “maximum energy sanctions” if necessary, but he remains “optimistic” that Trump can secure a peace deal without ramping up pressure.

Russia refuses full ceasefire, energy attacks continue

Putin has refused to commit to the 30-day ceasefire that Trump’s team had arranged with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. Instead, he only agreed to stop attacking energy infrastructure, rejecting a broader truce. Moscow said it would only consider a full ceasefire if foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv ended—conditions that Ukraine’s European allies have already rejected.

Following the Trump-Putin call, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was open to an energy ceasefire but wanted to see more details. Later, he accused Putin of rejecting a broader peace effort after Russia launched a wave of drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. “Unfortunately, there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure,” he wrote on X.

Just hours after Putin agreed to halt attacks on energy sites, both sides were back to launching airstrikes. Russia reportedly fired more than 40 drones at Ukraine, including one that struck a hospital in Sumy. Ukraine, meanwhile, responded with missile and drone strikes on Russian oil and gas facilities.

Officials in Krasnodar confirmed that a Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at an oil depot. In Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, the governor said the situation “remains difficult,” with Moscow claiming that Ukrainian forces attempted a ground assault before being pushed back.

US talks on Ukraine will continue on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. After last week’s meeting in Jeddah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the “ball” was now in Russia’s court after Kyiv accepted Washington’s proposal for a full ceasefire.

However, the White House made no mention of that deal in its official statement. Instead, it outlined a phased plan, starting with an energy ceasefire, then a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, followed by a full ceasefire and peace agreement.

The Kremlin, however, released a separate statement saying there were “significant issues” in enforcing any agreement with Kyiv. Moscow also made it clear that stopping Western intelligence and military support for Ukraine was a “key condition” for any final settlement.

Trump warns against growing Russia-China alliance

Trump also voiced concerns about Russia and China getting too close, telling Fox News that he sees a problem forming. “As a student of history, which I am—I’ve watched it all—the first thing you learn is you don’t want Russia and China to get together,” he said.

Since 2022, China has helped Russia bypass sanctions by providing access to markets and trade. Before launching the invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” partnership, and China has continued to support Moscow diplomatically. Beijing has publicly backed peace talks between Russia and the US, saying any attempt to divide them is “doomed to fail.”

But Trump suggested that the relationship between Moscow and Beijing wasn’t as strong as it appeared. “They’re probably friendly now, but we’re going to be friendly with both,” he said. Meanwhile, Xi and Putin call each other “best friends.”

Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot