Trump suspends sanctions. He does not want to distract Russia from the negotiating table

Donald Trump, president of the United States, announced in a Sunday entry on his Truth Social website that he had decided to suspend the introduction of new sanctions against Russia. As he emphasized, his decision was dictated by concern for keeping Russia at the table of peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine.

I am negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and I do not want to do anything that could unwisely distract Russia from the negotiating table. Great progress is being made, including the current hostage negotiations! – Trump wrote.

The US president suggested that sanctions could be introduced at a later date if necessary. He also added that Russia was "doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran" and expressed hope that this state of affairs would continue.

Criticism of Zelensky

In his post, Trump did not spare harsh words for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. He accused him of harming the global economy by attacking Russian refineries and showing no desire to end the conflict.

Farmers, ranchers and all kinds of businesses suffer greatly because of this, but Russia still sends millions of barrels of diesel around the world at a low price. "Zelensky doesn't care, and honestly, given all the money Europe knows is giving him, and what Corrupt Joe Biden has given him in the past, he doesn't want to end this war and probably never did," Trump wrote.

According to the American president, Ukraine is in "ruin", has lost a significant part of its territories and "oceans and seas", and there is a shortage of men in the country. Trump ended his post with a firm appeal: "I WANT THIS WAR TO END!"

Behind-the-scenes negotiations and political tensions

Trump's mention of hostage negotiations confirms earlier reports of White House efforts to free political prisoners from Russian prisons. In exchange for their release, the US would ease sanctions against Russia. The matter is being handled by Trump's envoy to Belarus, John Coale, who previously held similar talks with the regime in Minsk.

On Friday, the US president signed a regulation suspending the entry into force of all sanctions and tariffs against Russia and its partners, provided for by the so-called Lindsey Graham Act. The official justification for this decision differs from the explanations of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, who indicated the need to analyze the economic effects of tariffs within the next 60 days. However, the order signed by Trump does not specify any deadline.

In response to Trump's allegations, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope in an interview for NBC that the US president would not side with Russia. He also warned that such a step would be a "historic mistake" and could spell disaster for Ukraine.