Trump Says He’s Uncertain if Sanctions Bother Putin
(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has conceded that the fresh round of US restrictions targeting Russia might ultimately be ineffective.
Nevertheless, he affirmed that his government will proceed with implementing them—unless a resolution to the Ukraine conflict is achieved in the near future.
Earlier this week, Trump dramatically reduced his initially proposed 50-day timeline for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to just ten days.
He cautioned that a failure to reach a deal within that shortened period would result in extensive punitive measures, possibly encompassing full (100%) tariffs and secondary sanctions against Russia’s commercial allies.
“We’re going to put sanctions. I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” Trump stated to journalists on Thursday evening, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“They know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions, and tariffs, and everything else. I don’t know if that has any effect, but we’re going to do it.”
Trump also disclosed that his appointed special representative, Steve Witkoff, would journey to Russia following his current visits to Israel and Gaza. While a specific schedule was not provided, Witkoff has previously engaged in several discussions with Putin during earlier diplomatic missions.
According to acting US envoy to the United Nations, John Kelley, Trump anticipates a truce to be established by August 8.
The president has shown increasing impatience with Moscow’s stance over the last few weeks, Kelley noted.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by indicating that Moscow had taken note of Trump’s statements but minimized their significance.
“We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time,” Peskov commented on Wednesday.
“Of course, a certain immunity has already developed.”
He emphasized that Russia remains dedicated to achieving peace, though only under conditions that honor its interests and reflect the “new territorial realities.”
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