Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, stated that Russia sees “nothing new” in US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about imposing additional sanctions if Moscow refuses to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, New Voice reports, citing Russian propaganda media.
On 21 January, Trump announced at the White House that he could impose further sanctions on Russia should the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, decline to engage in peace talks. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump called on Putin to “make a deal,” warning that Russia’s economy is “collapsing” and will “only get worse.”
Trump indicated that if a deal is not reached soon, he would have no choice but to impose high duties, tariffs, and sanctions on all Russian exports to the US and other affected countries.
Peskov dismissed the remarks, stating that during his first term, Trump frequently used sanctions because “he enjoys such methods.” Consequently, the Kremlin sees “no new elements” in the US president’s statements.
He added that Russia is allegedly open to “equal dialogue” with the US, claiming that Moscow is waiting for signals from Washington, which, according to him, have yet to appear.
Earlier, Kurt Volker, who served during Trump’s first term as the US special representative for Ukraine, said that the coming weeks will be decisive for both Kyiv and Moscow.
He explained that he believed that the US president would call Putin and “tell him to end the war,” but Putin would unlikely agree. Then, the Trump team would understand it has to show strength to push for a peace deal with additional measures.
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