President Donald Trump is reportedly holding off on promising new U.S. sanctions against Russia while signaling growing doubts about the prospects for a peace deal in Ukraine, according to officials familiar with recent discussions.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Thursday joined European officials on a conference call, while White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met with leaders in Paris for a summit on a proposed European force that French President Emmanuel Macron and other heads of state are saying is vital to persuading Trump to commit to long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Officials on the call said Trump urged allies to cut off purchases of Russian oil, saying the sales are financing Moscow’s war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also joined the call, where he and Vance pressed for tougher action against China.
Still, Trump stopped short of pledging new U.S. sanctions. Europe, meanwhile, is preparing to roll out another package of penalties against Moscow, having already blacklisted several Chinese companies and banks accused of aiding Russia.
Macron has also pushed for broader European measures, including a joint “reassurance force” with the United Kingdom to deter further Russian aggression once a peace accord is in place.
Trump has recently warmed to the idea of the United States providing some form of security guarantee for Ukraine, but he has remained vague about what that would entail. Last month, he said the U.S. might use air power in support of a European security force, though he ruled out sending American ground troops.
At the same time, administration officials told NBC News that Trump has grown increasingly skeptical about the chances of reaching a negotiated peace soon. His push for a ceasefire has slowed in recent weeks.
On Aug. 15, Trump traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the meeting ended without an agreement.
Three days later, Trump hosted Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House and announced that Putin and Zelenskyy would soon meet face-to-face for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion. That meeting has not materialized.
Last month, Trump gave Putin a two-week deadline to meet with Zelenskyy for direct talks, but that deadline expires this week with no agreement in sight.
Asked Wednesday in the Oval Office alongside Polish President Karol Nawrocki about his next steps, Trump said he would call Putin “in the next few days” to press for movement.
“He knows where I stand,” Trump said of the Russian leader. “Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy. And if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
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