Did Trump Just Flip-Flop On Russian Sanctions? – Just days after threatening new sanctions on Russia in response to Russia’s massive drone strikes in Ukraine this past weekend, President Donald Trump appears hesitant to make any major new announcements before the next round of peace negotiations begins, telling reporters on Wednesday that he doesn’t plan to make any changes to his strategy just yet.
Trump Was Ready To Do It
After Russia hit Ukraine with one of its largest-ever drone strikes against urban population centers, President Trump told reporters on a runway in New Jersey that he would “absolutely” consider additional sanctions on Moscow, adding that he was “not happy” with Putin’s actions.
On Truth Social, the president went further, warning that Russia was “playing with fire” and revealing that Putin was unaware that he had personally intervened to stop a series of “really bad things” happening to his country.
Trump’s openness to new sanctions was confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who revealed some of what the president said to him during a meeting at the Vatican on April 26, held during Pope Francis’s funeral.
“President Trump supported that if Russia does not stop, there will be sanctions,” Zelenskyy said. “Our conversation was positive…I perceive our conversation as a confirmation of the U.S. policy of imposing strong sanctions against Russia if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire.”
What He’s Saying Now
On Wednesday, May 28, President Trump struck a more cautious tone. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed reluctance to move forward with new sanctions for now.
“If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” Trump said, offering an insight into the progress he believes has been made in recent weeks.
Trump also proved that he is conscious of the fact that the Russian president may not be as willing to negotiate as he claims to be, suggesting that Moscow could be deliberately stalling.
“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently,” Trump said, suggesting more than sanctions could be on their way.
When Will We Know?
It remains unclear when, or if, a new breakthrough in negotiations will occur.
Russian officials Dmitry Peskov and Sergey Lavrov recently thanked Trump for facilitating what they described as a forthcoming round of in-person talks, even after the U.S. president slammed their own president as “crazy.” The talks, which Lavrov and Peskov seemed to confirm are coming, may be hosted by the Vatican, but no date or venue has been confirmed so far.
While the negotiations may still take place, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart in terms of what is and is not an acceptable area for negotiation, though Ukrainian officials have shown increased willingness to make some territorial concessions.
Until those talks materialize, Trump may well take a pause on new sanctions in the hope that diplomacy will succeed. In the interim, however, he is likely to continue pursuing global oil price reductions – a measure that is not only in the interests of the American people, but could cause far more damage to the Russian economy than sanctions alone.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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