The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia, which was a sharp contrast to the previous policy of the Donald Trump administration. For months, he has only threatened Moscow with such sanctions, but has now moved on to real action. The American television channel CNN revealed the reason.
According to sources in the White House, Trump has realized that Putin is not ready to conclude a peace agreement. Trump has seen that the Russian president's position on ending the war in Ukraine has not changed significantly since their summit in Alaska.
Putin's continued attacks on civilians in Ukraine, his maximalist demands for Kiev to end the war and his refusal to agree to an immediate ceasefire – all of which, according to Trump, was a clear signal that nothing had really changed.
“I just felt it was time,“ Trump said at the White House moments after announcing the new sanctions. “We've been waiting a long time.“
When President Donald Trump hung up the phone after his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, he was so confident he had made progress that he announced he would soon head to Budapest for another face-to-face meeting with the Russian leader. Five days later, the summit was canceled and new sanctions were imposed on Moscow.
Whether Trump's new stance is permanent or merely temporary is an open question. He has repeatedly shifted his approach to Putin since returning to office, often influenced by his phone calls with the Russian leader.
According to a senior White House official, there was no single moment that dramatically changed Trump’s mind. Instead, his views were shaped by repeated disappointments with Putin’s apparent refusal to end the war.
“Every time I talk to Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere,” Trump complained. “They just don’t go anywhere.”
After a phone call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it became clear to U.S. officials that Moscow’s position had not changed significantly.
Russia is not ready to make concessions, instead demanding Ukraine’s surrender. President Trump surprised even some of his closest advisers by agreeing to impose sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Even many in the White House were surprised by how quickly the new sanctions package took shape. Trump had been telling his advisers for months that one day he would decide it was time to take more decisive action against Russia. The president hinted to his advisers that his "instincts" told him it was time to move in a different direction with Putin.
Hours before the sanctions announcement, Russia struck a Ukrainian kindergarten in Kharkiv. Trump was also motivated by the Gaza ceasefire, believing it had only come about after he became increasingly tough on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The tougher stance has produced tangible results, and Trump hopes the same will happen in Ukraine.
In addition, Trump's allies in the Republican Party have repeatedly urged him to take a tougher stance on Putin. Trump has not ruled out the possibility of meeting with Putin in the future when he deems the time is right.