As ceasefire deadline passes, no additional Russia sanctions announced by Trump
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump has not imposed fresh sanctions on Russia, even as Moscow refused to cease hostilities in Ukraine by his Aug. 8 deadline.
The U.S. president is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a high-level summit in Alaska on Aug. 15 for peace talks.
Trump has said that a potential peace deal will involve "some swapping" of territories as the U.S. intensifies efforts to broker a peace deal.
"Well you're looking at territory that's been fought over for three-and-a-half years... So we're looking at that but we're actually looking to get some back," Trump said during a press conference alongside the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Some swapping, it's complicated."
"We're going to get some back. We're going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both," Trump added.
Putin reportedly proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, offering a halt in hostilities in exchange for Ukraine's eastern regions, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing European and Ukrainian officials.
The planned Aug. 15 event will mark their first face-to-face meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January.
In July, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Putin to end hostilities or face 100% secondary tariffs. As trade between the U.S. and Russia is limited, the measure would effectively target countries purchasing Russian oil, such as China or India.
Trump eventually shortened the deadline as he increasingly voiced frustration with Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and Moscow's delays in the peace process, giving Putin until Aug. 8 to accept the deal.
The U.S. president later denied naming a specific percentage on the planned secondary tariffs, even as he slapped an additional 25% tariff on India on Aug. 6 over its purchases of Russian oil, on top of 25% duties announced earlier.
Starting his second term in office with a pledge to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, Trump's peace efforts stalled as Moscow continued to reject an unconditional ceasefire backed by Kyiv and European allies.
After months of deadlock, U.S.-Russian diplomatic efforts gained fresh momentum this week after Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Aug. 6, reaching an agreement on a summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders.
Trump is also reportedly aiming to follow up the meeting with a trilateral summit involving President Volodymyr Zelensky. While the Ukrainian president signaled he is ready for such a format, Putin claimed he does not oppose the meeting in principle, but added that certain "conditions" must first be met.
The Russian leader has shown little interest in halting hostilities as he reportedly believes his forces hold the upper hand on the battlefield.
Recent battlefield reports show Moscow's troops are closing in on key front-line towns in Donetsk Oblast, such as Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar, while Ukraine faces manpower shortages.
Russia currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, limited border areas in the Kherson and Sumy oblasts, and significant parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Peace demands previously voiced by Moscow included full control of the latter four regions, limits on Ukraine's military strength, a ban on Kyiv's entry into NATO, measures promoting the Russian language in Ukraine, and more.
In turn, Kyiv has rejected any formal recognition of Russian territorial claims or restrictions on joining international alliances and stressed that territorial discussions must be preceded by a full ceasefire.
Talking to European leaders and Zelensky on Aug. 6, Trump reportedly said that Putin is open to negotiations if land swaps are included in the talks.
