"Based on the fact that Russia is completely 'crushing' Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I strongly consider large-scale bank sanctions, sanctions, and tariffs against Russia until a ceasefire and a FINAL PEACE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED. Russia and Ukraine, come to the table now, before it's too late. Thank you", writes the president.
Trump has been criticized lately for having approached Russia. He has also ordered a pause for all military support and intelligence to Ukraine.
"Thrives in the center"
It is difficult to interpret what Trump's latest statement can come to mean, according to Dag Blanck, professor of North American Studies at Uppsala University.
He operates so that he goes out with things and then takes them back, it's probably part of his negotiation tactic to go out hard and then back down. We've seen that several times. So it's very difficult to have any definite opinion about where this will land, says Blanck.
Trump causes great uproar by making statements on social media.
It becomes a constant spotlight on him by conducting such negotiations on Truth Social or Twitter. It's a way to create attention for himself all the time, says Dag Blanck.
He stands in the center all the time, and it's a position that he thrives with.
USA: Does not hesitate to go "all in"
During the night and Friday morning, Russia attacked Ukraine with a large number of attack drones and robots. Nearly 60 robots and almost 200 attack drones were fired, according to the Ukrainian military. The attacks are said to have targeted the power supply in the country and several people have been injured.
USA's finance minister Scott Bessent has previously said that the USA will not hesitate to go "all in" with imposing sanctions on Russian energy if it would contribute to achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
The USA and EU have already imposed comprehensive sanctions on the Russian economy, including banks, since the country launched the large-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
