The US might soon step up pressure on Kyiv and Moscow in an attempt to push for a peace deal.
Reuters, citing multiple senior US officials from the Trump administration, said US President Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated over the Kremlin’s unwillingness to cooperate while Trump is seeking a swift end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
It said White House and State Department officials have, in meetings over the weekend, acknowledged Moscow’s resistance to the US’s peace initiative and are now eyeing measures to pressure Moscow.
While there are reportedly no plans in place at present, Washington is reportedly evaluating additional sanctions and tariffs that can be imposed on Moscow, an unnamed senior US official told Reuters.
Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, citing her government sources, said the White House is considering “aggressive sanctions enforcement” against Russia’s “shadow fleet” – oil tankers that export crude as they evade Western restrictions.
However, a senior US official told Reuters that he or she believes the measures are unlikely to sway Moscow.
Frustration with Moscow, lack of progress in peace talks
Other unnamed officials also told Reuters that senior officials from the Trump administration – including Trump himself – have redirected their frustration in recent weeks from Kyiv to Moscow.
In a rare criticism of the Kremlin, Trump said Sunday he was “angry, pissed off” over Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s remarks on imposing a UN-led administration in Ukraine.
A senior US official publicly acknowledged the White House’s frustration with Moscow.
“There is a deep frustration with the Russian government over negotiations,” National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said, according to Reuters. “President Trump was clear he will consider imposing secondary sanctions on all oil coming out of Russia if they are not serious about bringing this conflict to a peaceful resolution.”
The frustration might have stemmed from the lack of progress in the US-brokered ceasefire as well, as little to no progress was made despite the verbal agreements by all parties.
For instance, while Kyiv and Moscow have agreed in principle to implement a ceasefire over the Black Sea under Washington’s mediation, Moscow has raised additional demands, such as lifting sanctions, that are unlikely to be met.
The parties also agreed, in principle, to a ceasefire on energy facilities. However, both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of violations, with little to no progress made due to the differing positions and understanding of the US proposal.
As a result, the officials told Reuters that the Trump administration is beginning to acknowledge that a peace deal might not be reached in the next few months and are thus looking at additional pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow to facilitate the process.
Frustration with Kyiv over resources deal
The officials said Washington is also frustrated with Kyiv’s hesitation over the revised version of the resources deal, which demands more from Kyiv than initially agreed upon.
Trump himself has warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “big, big problems” after the latter signaled hesitation over the revised deal.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is reportedly seeking changes to the new draft agreement by aiming for more American investment, a source told Bloomberg.
Reuters, citing one unnamed US official, said “officials in the [Trump] administration are deliberating amending some portions of the proposed deal to make it more amenable to Kyiv’s economic interests.”