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The United States still has strong influence over Russia’s economy and its capacity to keep fighting in Ukraine, but President Donald Trump has stepped back from earlier threats to hit Moscow with tougher measures if talks on a ceasefire stalled. On Friday in Alaska, Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin ended their closely watched talks with no deal. By Saturday, Trump signaled a new goal. It was  a broader peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, aligning more with Putin’s line, rather than a narrow ceasefire. He also reportedly supported Putin’s proposal that Ukraine surrender territory it currently controls in exchange for a Russian pledge not to attack again. Fortune noted that was a sharp turn from Trump’s pre-Alaska warnings, when he said Russia would face “very severe consequences” if Putin refused a ceasefire. Pressed on why he did not follow through, Trump said he would pause any new penalties for now and hinted the threat could return as diplomacy unfolds. As Cryptopolitan reported earlier, Congress was upset. The Ukraine war is still on, yet Trump smiled and drove Putin in a private car. He said they agreed on “many, many points” but also said “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.” He refused new sanctions. Both parties—even usual allies—criticized him. He told Fox News “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now”. He added “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.” Trump could hit Russia’s energy revenues with secondary sanctions Before the meeting, Trump had floated secondary sanctions on Russia’s oil sector. Oil and gas supply most of the Kremlin’s money, a weak point Washington could exploit. Targeting the “shadow fleet” of tankers that quietly move…

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Filed under: News - @ August 17, 2025 1:20 am