Trump Hints at Carrot / Stick Sanctions Policy on Russia, Depending on Putin’s Readiness to Negotiate

US President Donald Trump has signaled that he’s ready to ease sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin comes to the table to negotiate peace in Ukraine or to ramp up sanctions if he doesn’t, according to Bloomberg and CNN.

“Sounds like it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, when asked if the United States would apply additional sanctions on Moscow if the Russian president did not come to the table.

Trump said he’s ready to meet with Putin “at any time,” adding that peace requires cooperation from both sides.

“Zelensky would like to have peace. But it takes two to tango. We’ll see what happens,” said the US president, referring to Putin.

Trump didn’t rule out continued military support for Ukraine, stating, “We’ll look into this.”

In the closing months of its term, the Biden administration focused on delivering as much weaponry and funding to Kyiv as possible, anticipating that Trump might reclaim any unspent portion of the $61 billion Congress allocated in 2024.

In one of his first actions as President, Trump signed a decree suspending US foreign aid programs for 90 days. Published on the official website of the White House, the order mandates a review of all aid programs to ensure they align with the new administration’s foreign policy goals.

During these 90 days, the White House aims to evaluate existing programs and determine their contribution to US interests.

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However, the freeze reportedly does not apply to military aid for Ukraine. This clarification came from Oleksandr Kovalenko, director of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CPD).

“This is about other things,” Kovalenko wrote on Telegram.

There has, however, not yet been confirmation from the US that this is the case, therefore military aid to Ukraine – funded heavily in response to Russia’s invasion – is likely to remain under scrutiny.

Prior to his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, Trump vowed to end the Ukraine war immediately upon taking office, raising concerns he might leverage US aid to force Kyiv to make concessions to Russia, which invaded in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Trump’s advisers are exploring new sanctions strategies. One idea involves easing restrictions on Russian oil if it leads to peace talks. Another option: doubling down on tough measures, including targeting global oil traders and tankers transporting Russian crude.

The Kremlin, however, isn’t expecting much change. Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier said “No surprises here. We don’t expect a shift in US policy toward Russia.”