by Sabrina Rodriguez, Kostiantyn Khudov (c) 2025 , The Washington Post
President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering imposing “large scale” sanctions on Russia to pressure the country into a ceasefire and peace deal with Ukraine. Trump’s threat on social media followed Russia’s first major missile attack against Ukraine since the Trump administration paused intelligence sharing with the embattled country. “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 wrote on Truth Social. “To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Trump’s threat marks a shift for the president, who has been arguing for weeks that Russia is ready to negotiate a peace deal after invading Ukraine three years ago. During his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump said, “We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and received strong signals that they are ready for peace.” It remains unclear, however, how serious Trump is about slapping sanctions and tariffs on Russia. Since taking office, Trump has taken a conciliatory approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin while harshly criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and falsely claiming Ukraine – not Russia – was responsible for starting the war. Trump has also been known to change course and walk back threats. On Friday, a senior administration official said “what led to [Trump’s] post is just outrage at the intensification when he’s putting the process back on track.” Trump is telling Russia “you’re moving the wrong direction when we’ve got Ukraine going in the right direction,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about internal discussions about how to handle the Ukraine-Russia talks. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the war in Ukraine – going so far as to say he would do it within 24 hours of taking the oath or even before his inauguration because he’s respected by Russia and Ukraine’s leaders. But he has been faced with the harsh reality that the war is still raging. Trump has faced criticism for launching talks with Russia to end the war – and for pressuring and criticizing Ukraine. European leaders have been alarmed by the shift in U.S.-Russia relations since Trump took office. They have expressed concern that Trump will make concessions to Putin and embolden him. Ukrainian officials report that several regions were hit by missiles and drones during the attack, and natural gas production facilities in the Poltava region were knocked out of commission. Missiles in the northern city of Kharkiv damaged at least 30 houses and injured eight. The attack follows a major drone assault around the country the night before. According to Ukraine’s air force, 67 missiles were fired at the country, accompanied by 194 drones. Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook that “Russia is trying to hurt ordinary Ukrainians by striking energy and gas production facilities, without abandoning its goal of leaving us without light and heat, and causing the greatest harm to ordinary citizens.”