President Donald Trump has once again defended his outreach to Moscow, declining for now to sign any new sanctions against Russia. He argues that doing so could derail negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, insisting that talks are moving in the right direction.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called his decision « very simple, » saying he does not want to act in a way that would « foolishly » push Russia away from the negotiating table at a moment when « significant progress » is reportedly being made, including on sensitive issues such as hostage negotiations. He left the door open to signing fresh sanctions later, saying he could do so « at any time. »
The remarks come as the administration faces criticism over its delay of a sanctions and tariff package targeting Russia and countries that continue buying Russian energy, measures that were due to take effect within days. Last Friday, Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from new US sanctions, shortly after Washington struck a deal allowing American imports of Russian diesel. The package approved by Congress includes sanctions on Russian officials, banks and energy traders, along with steep tariffs on nations still importing Russian oil and gas.
Trump reserved his sharpest criticism for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of driving up global diesel prices by continuing strikes on Russian refineries and fuel facilities. He argued the strikes hurt American farmers, ranchers and businesses with higher fuel costs, even as Russia keeps selling « millions of barrels » of cheap diesel elsewhere. Trump said he has repeatedly asked Kyiv to stop targeting Russian refineries, adding that Zelensky « doesn’t care » about ending the war and « maybe never wanted » to in the first place.
Kyiv and lawmakers from both American parties pushed back hard, warning that easing pressure on Moscow would only encourage it to keep fighting. Ukraine defends its strikes on energy infrastructure as retaliation for Russian attacks on its own power grid, and as a way to curb the Kremlin’s military revenue.
On the battlefield, Russia says it struck a logistics hub in Rivne and a vessel near the port of Odesa on Sunday, claiming its air defenses downed more than a thousand Ukrainian drones overnight. Officials in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region reported casualties and damage from Ukrainian drone strikes, including a fire at an oil terminal.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said Washington had resumed sharing critical intelligence that helps Ukraine intercept Russian ballistic missile attacks, after a brief pause, calling his country « very grateful. » He warned, however, that if the United States formally sided with Russia, Ukraine would not be able to hold out. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately dismissed as « reckless » Zelensky’s claims that the administration had slowed Ukraine’s Starlink service, stressing that the war can only end through a negotiated settlement.
