State Dept states US willing to place ‘maximum pressure’ on Russia
(MENAFN) President Donald Trump is ready to exert “maximum pressure” on Russia if ongoing Ukraine peace talks fail to yield results, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in an interview with Fox News. She noted that Trump’s patience is wearing thin, as reflected in his recent Truth Social posts criticizing Russian actions.
Earlier this week, Trump referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as having gone “crazy” after Moscow launched a series of retaliatory strikes on Ukraine. He warned that Putin is “playing with fire.” Russia responded by suggesting Trump may be misinformed, noting that recent strikes were in response to extensive Ukrainian drone attacks, including over 2,300 drones reportedly intercepted by Russia—some aimed at Moscow.
Bruce stated that Trump is prepared to use all available tools, including expanded sanctions, to pressure Moscow. A new draft bill led by Senator Lindsey Graham proposes sanctions of up to 500% on any countries continuing to buy Russian energy or goods. Bruce emphasized that the United States is “ready to implement a maximum pressure strategy,” and that Russia will “soon understand” Trump’s seriousness in pushing for a resolution to the conflict.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Western media of manipulating the narrative to derail peace talks and provoke new sanctions. However, he acknowledged Trump’s generally “balanced” stance on the issue and emphasized that meaningful negotiations would require time and should address the deeper causes of the conflict.
Yury Ushakov, a senior advisor to Putin, claimed that Trump is “not fully informed” about the extent of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, and only sees Russia’s retaliatory actions. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed this, saying Trump is being fed “filtered” information by individuals intent on pulling the U.S. into deeper involvement in the conflict on Ukraine’s side.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
