The Wall Street Journal has revealed that US President Donald Trump is considering imposing new sanctions on Russia this week in response to growing dissatisfaction over Russian attacks on Ukraine, BBC’s Russian Service reported on May 27.
According to the WSJ, if new sanctions are enacted, they will likely avoid targeting the banking sector but could include other measures aimed at pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. One proposal under discussion is demanding a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia has so far rejected.
On May 25, following a large-scale Russian strike on Ukraine over the weekend, Trump stated he was contemplating sanctions and harshly criticized Putin, saying the Russian leader had "completely lost it."
"He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell has happened to Putin," Trump told reporters, as reported by Euronews.
The recent attacks, involving hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv and various Ukrainian regions, resulted in 12 deaths, including three children from one family, with dozens more wounded.
Trump predicted a "collapse" of Russia if it attempts to conquer the entire territory of Ukraine. The US president also expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he "causes problems by what he says."
"I don’t like it, and it would be better if it stopped," Trump added.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Trump is growing weary of attempts at peaceful conflict resolution and is considering pulling the US out of negotiation efforts if they fail to yield results. It remains unclear how this stance might affect US military aid to Kyiv or future policy directions.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt emphasized to WSJ that "President Trump has made it clear that he wants to see a peace agreement achieved through negotiations."
Earlier, The New York Times also reported on the possibility of the US exiting talks, noting sources who said Trump told European leaders he was reluctant to toughen sanctions against Moscow.
Reacting to Trump’s comments criticizing Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described them as an emotional response.
"The initiation of the negotiation process, for which the American side has made great efforts, is a very important achievement. We are indeed grateful to the Americans and personally to President Trump… Of course, at the same time, this is a very responsible moment associated with emotional overloads and emotional reactions," Peskov said.
He added that President Putin "makes the decisions necessary to ensure the security of our country."
For context, the first Russia-Ukraine negotiations since spring 2022 took place on May 16 in Istanbul. The main outcome was a large prisoner exchange on a "1,000-for-1,000" basis, completed on May 25. The date for a second round of talks remains unknown.
