The plans of European leaders to compel the United States to impose new sanctions against Russia have suffered a serious blow due to the intervention of U.S. President Donald Trump. He publicly urged Ukraine to
This is reported by Business • Media
“immediately”
begin peace negotiations with Russia, effectively forcing Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a meeting proposed by the Kremlin in Istanbul. According to diplomats, the Ukrainian president found himself in a situation where he had no political space to refuse, fearing he would lose Trump’s support.
On May 10, coalition leaders visited Kyiv to convince Trump that Russia was merely stalling and that the U.S. should implement strong economic sanctions. A new sanctions package is being developed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and is receiving broad support in Congress. However, following Trump’s statement, these efforts lost their effectiveness.
The United Kingdom has decided to postpone the introduction of new restrictions, but the European Union still hopes to implement a new sanctions package by the end of May if the ceasefire is not upheld. Among the planned sanctions are restrictions against the operator of the
“Nord Stream 2”
pipeline. New American sanctions could become a key factor in pressuring the Kremlin, not only economically but also politically, demonstrating that Trump acknowledges Putin’s responsibility for hindering peace.
Thus, Europe will await the results of the negotiations in Turkey before again appealing to the U.S. for new sanctions. However, the United States has not provided clear signals of readiness to impose anti-Russian sanctions in the event that aggression against Ukraine continues or if Putin refuses to negotiate.