President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of imposing large-scale US sanctions on Russia until a peace deal is negotiated to end the Ukraine war, days after pausing military aid and intelligence support to Kyiv.
Trump's announcement comes as Ukraine's position in the Western Russian region of Kursk — which its troops stormed into last year in a surprise incursion — continues to deteriorate.
In the last three days, a Russian counteroffensive has nearly cut the Ukrainian force in two and separated the main group from its principal supply lines.
"Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely 'pounding' Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large-scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
"To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!"
Ukraine is also assessing the fallout from a major aerial assault on its energy infrastructure launched by Russia overnight Thursday into Friday, which targeted several of its regions with missiles and drones.
Responding to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to shore up Western support for Ukraine and requested a truce covering air and sea.
"The first steps to establishing real peace should be forcing the sole source of this war, Russia, to stop such attacks," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Russia rejected the idea of a temporary truce, which has also been proposed by Britain and France, and said it would never let peacekeepers from NATO countries into Ukraine, after the two countries suggested a European force could police any permanent settlement.
Current US sanctions on Russia include measures aimed at limiting its oil and gas revenues and capping its oil exports.
Trump did not go into detail on what another round of sanctions against Russia would entail and said later at an Oval Office media briefing that he was finding it more difficult to deal with Ukraine.
Despite tension with Trump, Zelenskyy said late on Thursday he would travel to Saudi Arabia next Monday for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before talks there later in the week between US and Ukrainian officials.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has already held extensive talks with Russian officials. He said he was in discussions with Ukraine for a peace agreement framework to end the three-year-old war and confirmed that a meeting was planned next week with the Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.
Russia holds around a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014, and its forces are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region.
