US President Donald Trump hinted he could visit Russia this year. He made the announcement while answering questions from reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for China.
“It could happen. I will do whatever it takes to make a deal in Ukraine“, the US leader said in response to a question about the possibility of visiting Russia by the end of this year. “And I think we will make a deal between Russia and Ukraine“, he said, adding that “he has already resolved eight conflicts“.
According to the US leader, a deal in Ukraine is “getting closer“.
Trump replied “no” to question of whether he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Donbas to be fully integrated into Russia.
The withdrawal of troops from Donbas is one of Moscow's most important conditions for a peace agreement with Kiev.
„I think the end of the conflict in Ukraine is very close“, the American leader said.
US President Donald Trump did not rule out extending the lifting of US sanctions on Russian oil.
„We will do whatever it takes“, the American president said, answering a question about whether he would be willing to extend the lifting of US sanctions on Russian oil to help alleviate the energy crisis caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The president said that fuel prices would fall sharply immediately after the end of the US-Israeli operation against Iran. He suggested that these military actions would not last long. „Once this war is over, and "It won't be a long process, you'll see oil prices fall. And you'll see the stock market, which is already at an all-time high, break records," the US president said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said in an interview with The Associated Press on April 25 that Washington has no plans to extend a temporary exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and petroleum products.
On March 12, the US Treasury Department lifted sanctions on the sale of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia loaded onto ships before that date. On March 19, it renewed the license, adding provisions prohibiting transactions involving several regions of the Russian Federation, as well as North Korea and Cuba. The license expired on April 11.
At a White House briefing on April 15, Besant said that Washington had no plans to extend the exemptions from its sanctions on Russian and Iranian crude oil stored on tankers at sea.
However, on April 17, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a license allowing until May 16 the sale, transportation, and unloading of crude oil and petroleum products of Russian origin loaded on tankers before April 17.