US pauses new Russia sanctions to keep Ukraine deal talks alive, Trump says

Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News on May 28, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s holding off on new sanctions against Russia in order to preserve the chance for a deal with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

“If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” Trump said Wednesday at the White House. “Let me tell you, I’m a lot tougher than the people you’re talking about.”

Asked by a reporter if Putin is interested in a peace deal, Trump said, “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks.”

Trump has shown growing frustration with his Russian counterpart for days, threatening new sanctions after Moscow launched its largest drone barrage of the war.

The president has been facing pressure from European allies and Republicans in Congress to follow through with financial penalties on Russia.

“I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl. Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS,” longtime GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley posted Monday on X.

“Pres Trump shld take the decisive action agst Putin that he takes agst Harvard,” Grassley said in another post. “Sanctions for Putin like no fed grants for Harvard.”

The U.S. president reiterated his displeasure with ongoing Russian strikes against civilian targets inside Ukraine.

“I’m very disappointed in what happened a couple of nights now where people were killed in the middle of what you would call a negotiation,” Trump said. “I’m very disappointed by that, very very disappointed.”

Amid the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed allied partners for $30 billion by year’s end to boost domestic weapons production. He also proposed a meeting between himself, Trump and Putin aimed at breaking the deadlock in peace talks. Trump said he would join a hypothetical summit “if necessary.”

“I wish it would have been that way a couple of months ago, but at this point that we’re working on President Putin, and we’ll see where we are,” Trump said.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed Trump’s criticisms, saying the president is not well informed about Ukraine’s attacks on Russia, according to a video posted to Telegram by a Russian state television reporter.