Trump says he will not impose new sanctions on Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump will not impose further sanctions against Russia "because there's a chance" of progress towards a ceasefire, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on May 19.

"Because I think there's a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you could also make it much worse," he said, according to CNN.

"But there could be a time where that’s going to happen," he added.

Trump's comments come after he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day in a two-hour phone call. Putin once again did not agree to a ceasefire, instead offering to negotiate a "memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty" with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said following the phone call that there was "no timeline" for preparing a memorandum, Russian state-owned media TASS reported. "It’s clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but of course, the devil is in the details," Peskov added.

Despite numerous threats, Trump has never followed through on imposing additional sanctions against Russia. The Kremlin has continued to refuse demands from the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.

The EU is preparing an important sanctions package against Russia as Moscow continues to refuse a ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press briefing attended by the Kyiv Independent earlier on May 19.

There is an important "strong EU sanctions package" underway, Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is coordinating with the EU to impose harsh penalties on Russia.

Trump's comments contradict those of German government spokesperson Stefan Cornelius who said on May 19 that newly proposed EU sanctions are also being coordinated with the U.S. government.

Two sources briefed on Trump's call with the European leaders following his conversation with Putin told the Financial Times that Trump made no promises of future U.S. sanctions against Russia.