Trump suggests Russia sanctions could come sooner than 50-day deadline
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on July 25 that secondary sanctions against Russia could be imposed earlier than the 50-day deadline he announced earlier this month.
"We're looking at that whole situation. It could be that we'll have to impose secondary sanctions on you," he said, adding "maybe" when asked whether they could come sooner than 50 days.
The remarks follow a third round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks held in Istanbul on July 23, which lasted less than an hour and ended with Russia again rejecting a full ceasefire.
Ukraine proposed a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of August — a proposal the Kremlin has yet to accept.
"It's going to happen, but it should have happened three months ago," Trump said of a potential trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin.
Zelensky has reiterated his readiness for direct talks, including a three-way format with Trump and Putin. The Russian leader, while claiming openness to negotiations, has declined to participate in person and has delegated talks to lower-level officials.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on July 25 that a Zelensky-Putin summit is unlikely to take place within 30 days, arguing that detailed agreements must first be developed at the expert level.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the same day that he plans to speak with both Trump and Putin about convening them for talks in Turkey.
Trump originally announced on July 14 that Russia would face "severe" secondary tariffs if it refuses to end the war within 50 days. The measure is intended to cut off Moscow's oil revenue, which accounts for about one-third of the Russian federal budget.
Secondary sanctions target third parties doing business with a sanctioned country, imposing penalties such as 100% tariffs on goods entering the U.S. If countries like China continue buying Russian oil, they could face steep costs for access to the American market.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on July 21 that Washington hopes European allies will join in applying secondary tariffs to increase pressure on the Kremlin.
