President Trump has completely failed to address the war in Ukraine in an appropriate manner capable of bringing it to an end, and now we’re back to the failed neocon strategies of the past:
The US has finalized a new set of economic sanctions targeting Russia as leverage to force Moscow to settle the Ukraine conflict, Reuters reported on Friday, citing several sources. It remains unclear, however, whether US President Donald Trump will approve the measures.
Earlier media reports suggested that Trump has not ruled out the sanctions if a ceasefire is not reached soon. On Monday, Moscow offered a 72-hour ceasefire from May 8 to 10, portraying the initiative as a chance to begin “direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions.” Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the overture as “manipulation,” insisting on a 30-day truce.
The targets of the new sanctions under discussion include state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom and major entities involved in the natural resources and banking sectors, an administration official told the agency, without providing specifics.
Apparently the USA remains agreement-incapable under President Trump. At some point, Washington is going to realize that its rhetoric is no longer capable of reshaping reality, and that sanctions will never have the desired effect on major powers. But today is not that day.
If President Trump wants to end the war, he would do much, much better to sanction Ukraine and the EU.