Trump delays new sanctions on Russia to avoid disrupting possible peace talks with Putin

Donald Trump, speaking from the White House on Wednesday, told reporters he’s pressing pause on new sanctions against Russia, saying the decision is meant to keep negotiations alive with Russian President Vladimir Putin and not provoke him. The update came during a briefing in the Oval Office, where Trump said he needs about two weeks to figure out whether Putin is seriously engaging or just buying time while his war on Ukraine escalates. “If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” Trump said , when asked why the new penalties were being shelved. This comes after many days of sharp messaging from Trump, who has been visibly frustrated with the lack of progress in peace talks. Over the weekend, he had hinted that punitive measures could hit Moscow soon in response to its latest wave of attacks. But his tone changed by midweek. “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 said, signaling he wants proof of genuine diplomacy before pulling the trigger on any financial punishment. Trump says this isn’t his war and blames Biden, Zelensky and Putin According to reporting from Bloomberg, Trump’s comments followed Russia’s largest drone and missile assault on Ukraine since the conflict began. He had warned Putin days earlier that he was “playing with fire,” but has now pulled back on immediate retaliation. In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, Trump claimed his involvement is the only reason things haven’t spiraled further. “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD,” he wrote. Trump also tried to distance himself from the entire conflict. “This isn’t my war,” he said. “This is Joe Biden’s war, Volodymyr Zelensky’s war, and Putin’s war. This isn’t Trump’s war.” Though so far, Trump’s own administration has not secured any agreement from Putin on a cease-fire or troop withdrawal. While Trump avoided giving any specifics on what happens if Putin continues attacks, he redirected the conversation to Iran and Gaza when pressed on the topic. “We’re not happy about that situation,” he said. “I think we’re doing very well with Iran. We’re doing very well with Gaza.” Trump also confirmed that his team is engaged in “very good talks” with Iran over its nuclear program, a standoff that’s lasted more than twenty years. “We’ll find out whether that means anything,” he said, when asked if an agreement was near. US officials believe Iran is now just a few months away from being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iranian leaders have said they might scale back the program, but only if the US agrees to remove sanctions that have strangled their economy. Trump said an agreement could be coming together. “They still have to agree to the final stages of a document,” he said, “but I think you could be very well surprised what happens there, and it’d be a great thing for them.” He also shared that he personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take any military action that could interfere with ongoing Iran negotiations. “To be honest, yes, I did,” Trump admitted during the briefing. KEY Difference Wire : the secret tool crypto projects use to get guaranteed media coverage

Source: Cryptopolitan