Trump considering imposing sanctions on russia this week - WSJ

US President Donald Trump is considering imposing sanctions on the aggressor country of russia this week, due to frustration with russian leader vladimir putin over his continued attacks on Ukraine and the slow pace of peace talks.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with Trump's thinking.

Thus, one of the interlocutors said that the restrictions would most likely not include new banking sanctions, but other options are being discussed to force the russian leader to make concessions at the negotiating table, in particular agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire.

At the same time, it is indicated that Trump may also decide not to impose new sanctions.

People familiar with Trump’s views told the publication that the US President is also tired of peace talks and is considering abandoning them if the latest push does not work, a striking change for a leader who on his first day in office campaigned on his ability to end the conflict.

“President Trump has made it clear that he wants to see a negotiated peace deal. President Trump has also been wise to leave all options on the table,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Wall Street Journal.

It also notes that for weeks Trump has resisted pressure to reprimand putin for not agreeing to a ceasefire supported by Ukraine. Allies such as Republican Senator Lindsey Graham have told Trump that putin does not want to make a deal and that only punishment will force him to negotiate seriously.

Three key views colored Trump’s thinking, officials said. First, his dislike of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who Trump believed was encouraging further conflict by pushing for sanctions even as Zelenskyy agreed to a ceasefire.

Notably, on Sunday, while criticizing putin, Trump also criticized Zelenskyy in a social media post, saying the Ukrainian leader “is not doing his country any favors by talking the way he does.”

Second, Trump also believed that additional sanctions against russia would not limit its ability to wage war but would hinder efforts to revive U.S.-russian economic ties.

Third, Trump felt he knew putin and that the russian leader would end the war as a personal favor. Putin's unwillingness to budge has worsened Trump's attitude towards his counterpart, especially after a phone call last week, during which putin refused to sign a ceasefire agreement.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, earlier, after a phone call with putin, Trump said that the US would not impose tougher sanctions against russia as long as "there is a chance" for progress.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that US President Donald Trump "realized" that russian leader vladimir putin "lied to him" about his readiness for peace amid the massive shelling of Ukraine by the aggressor state of russia.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of the aggressor country of russia, Sergey Lavrov, said on May 23 that russia is working on a draft document with the conditions for a "settlement" and will present it after the prisoner exchange in the "1,000 for 1,000" format is completed.