Trump considers new Russia sanctions

US President Donald Trump is holding out the prospect of further sanctions against Russia, but is also open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Whenever Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are ready, he will meet with them, Trump said the day after his inauguration at the White House in Washington. When asked whether he would impose sanctions if Putin was not prepared to negotiate, Trump replied: “Sounds likely.”

Selenskyj would like to have peace, Trump said. “But it takes two to tango.” Before his return to the White House, the new US president had announced that he would end the war, which has now lasted almost three years, in the shortest possible time. However, Trump's exact ideas are still unclear.

Russia, which sees itself militarily on the path to victory, only wants to accept a de facto subjugation of its neighboring country. Selensky hopes that the new US president will help to bring the Russian war of aggression to a just end. The Ukrainian emphasizes that a sustainable end is more important than a quick end.

In Trump's view, China could also play an important role in settling the bloody conflict. However, he criticized Chinese head of state Xi Jinping for not yet having done much in this regard. “He has a lot of power - just like we have a lot of power.” He had told Xi: “You should sort this out.”