Putin's constant attacks on civilians in Ukraine, the Kremlin's maximalist demands - all this, according to Trump, signaled Putin's unchanging course despite measures for a peaceful settlement in Russia's war against Ukraine. Subsequently, the US President's plans for a summit in Budapest turned into a new package of sanctions.
UNN writes with reference to CNN.
Details
Last week, Donald Trump was convinced that he would soon go to Budapest for a personal summit with Russian leader Putin. But then everything was canceled, and the US President decided to act tougher and imposed new sanctions against Russia.
What happened was a gradual realization that Putin's position on ending the war had not changed since the meeting at the US airbase in Alaska. Missiles and drones of the Russian Armed Forces continue to hit civilians in Ukraine, and Moscow's maximalist demands on Kyiv remain unchanged.
Hours before the announcement, Russia struck a Ukrainian kindergarten building in Kharkiv. Videos from the scene showed terrified people running out of the burning building, holding screaming children.
Reference
Starting in the days after he re-assumed office in January, Trump considered using sanctions to make the Kremlin more amenable to negotiations. On January 22, two days after his inauguration and one day after the deadline he set for ending the war, Trump stated that he might have no choice but to "impose a high level of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" against Moscow.
After Anchorage, the prospect of Budapest emerged - new US-Russia negotiations regarding the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. However, after a phone call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, American officials realized:
Moscow's position had not changed significantly, despite what Trump considered a positive conversation with Putin four days earlier.
Recall
UNN reported that US President Donald Trump chose a medium-severity option of sanctions against Russia, aimed at the energy sector. This happened after Trump concluded that Putin was "leading him on" by continuing to strike Ukraine.
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated that Congress "must continue the pressure." He said that the Senate could designate a "Russia week" during which several bills related to Russia's war against Ukraine would be considered.