White House prepares anti-Russian sanctions as Trump faces pressure

The White House has prepared a new package of economic sanctions against Russia, targeting its banking and energy sectors, as President Donald Trump faces growing pressure from within his own party and among top advisers to respond more forcefully to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s escalating war in Ukraine.

US officials say the sanctions package is ready to be implemented pending Trump’s approval. The development marks a potential shift in the administration’s approach after months of resistance from Trump, who has long argued that sanctions are overused and could undermine efforts to negotiate peace, Caliber.Az reports citing Reuters. 

While Trump still hopes to build an economic partnership with Moscow and fears sanctions could derail fragile ceasefire talks, aides say his frustration with Putin has intensified following a recent surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

“He is always looking at different ways to apply pressure,” a senior White House official said. “This is no different. He’s always weighing his options.”

Among the options under discussion is bipartisan legislation introduced last month by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would impose a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil. Some advisers view the bill as a strategic tool that would allow Trump to distance himself from the sanctions decision while still applying meaningful pressure on Moscow.

According to a USofficial with direct knowledge of the discussions, such an approach would let Trump tell Putin that the action was in Congress’s hands—helping preserve communication between the two leaders. The official and another person familiar with internal deliberations added that the administration believes secondary sanctions—targeting countries that do business with Russia—are essential for maximum impact.

The renewed push for sanctions follows a two-hour call between Trump and Putin last week, after which Trump believed the two sides were close to ceasefire negotiations. But when Russia launched a new wave of attacks shortly afterward, Trump’s tone hardened.

Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY,” Trump said, adding that the Russian leader was “playing with fire” by refusing to engage seriously with Kyiv.

Still, Trump remains cautious. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on May 28, he said he did not want to jeopardise a potential peace deal by acting too hastily.

“If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” he said.

Asked whether Putin was sincere about wanting to end the war, Trump replied, “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” explaining that he was waiting on Russia’s latest peace proposal.

“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently,” Trump added.

Trump has previously threatened sanctions, including in January and before his latest call with Putin, but has stopped short of following through. Now, with a sanctions package prepared and bipartisan momentum building in Congress, his options are narrowing as the war shows no sign of slowing.

Putin claimed last week that Russia is working on a memorandum with Ukraine to define the terms of a peace agreement and ceasefire, but officials in Moscow say they cannot yet estimate when the document will be completed.

By Sabina Mammadli