US President Donald Trump hinted on Tuesday that he may impose more sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate an end-of-war settlement in Ukraine.

“Sounds likely,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if the US would impose new penalties on Moscow if the Russian president did not come to the table.

Prior to his inauguration on Monday, Trump promised to end the Ukraine war as soon as he took office, heightening anticipation that he would use aid to pressure Kyiv to make concessions to Russia, which invaded in February 2022.

Trump made uncharacteristically scathing statements about Putin on Monday, saying that the Russian president “should make a deal.”

I believe he is ruining Russia by refusing to make a deal.

Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told him that he desired a peace agreement.