Trump is ready to double sanctions against Russia to force it to end the war

Keith Kellogg, photo: GettyImages

US President Donald Trump is ready to significantly strengthen sanctions against Russia, even doubling them, to force Moscow to end its war against Ukraine.

Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said this in an interview with the New York Post.

He noted that both Kyiv and Moscow would have to make certain concessions to end the fighting.

Kellogg also rated the effectiveness of the current sanctions against Russia at only 3 points out of 10. At the same time, he stressed that US restrictions, in particular those related to the Russian energy sector, are more effective, but their potential has not yet been exhausted.

«You can indeed strengthen sanctions, especially the latest restrictions against oil production and exports. This has opened up a lot of opportunities to do something. And if anyone understands the leverage, it's President Donald Trump, and you can see it in what he recently did», Kellogg said.

It should be noted that the United States is already negotiating a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for peace, despite his hostile attitude.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».