The US President Donald Trump is ready to double sanctions on Washington to force Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
This was told to the New York Post by Trumpʼs special representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
He rated the restrictions already in place against Russia at a three on a ten-point scale of economic pressure. Kellogg believes that “there is still room for strengthening” US sanctions, particularly those targeting the Kremlin’s profit sector.
The special envoy said that last week Trump gathered his national security team, from Vice President JD Vance to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, in the Oval Office. They allegedly discussed the administrationʼs approach to ending the war.
Kellogg criticized the strategy of the 46th President Joe Biden, who promised to provide Ukraine with “as much assistance as needed” without increasing other pressure. Instead, according to the official, Trump is focused on comprehensive measures. The president’s goal is to first stop the violence and only then discuss a peaceful settlement.
“For Russia, it’s kind of the DNA of military operations — essentially, it’s a war of attrition. They’re used to it. And so the pressure can’t just be military. You have to apply economic pressure, diplomatic pressure, some types of military pressure, and certain levers to make sure [everything goes] where we want it to go,” Keith Kellogg explained.
The official is convinced that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to make concessions in order to end the conflict, because "this is exactly what happens in negotiations".
Trumpʼs plans for war in Ukraine
During the election campaign, Trump claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine “in one day”. However, after being elected president, his narratives changed. The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal writes that he instructed special envoy Keith Kellogg to end the war in 100 days.
Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that the state will defend its integrity and will not cede its territories to Russia. In September 2024, Zelensky met with Donald Trump and presented him with a victory plan. According to the Ukrainian leader, the meeting was very meaningful.
The new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that under Donald Trumpʼs presidency, ending the Russia-Ukraine war will be the official policy of the United States. And Trump himself, two days after his inauguration, called on Putin to end the war or face heavy taxes and sanctions.
According to Zelensky, he is impressed by the US presidentʼs tactics for ending hostilities. However, he stressed that Trump and Putinʼs talks about a war without Ukraine are dangerous for everyone.
- Bloomberg recently reported that the Trump administration would present a plan to end Russiaʼs war against Ukraine on February 14-16 at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. However, Kellogg denied this.
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