Key facts
- Trump seeks to keep Russia at the negotiating table for peace talks.
- Zelenskiy stated siding with Putin would be a "historic mistake".
- Russian envoy called Trump's order "an important and truly historic moment".
- Trump accused Zelenskiy of not wanting to end the war.
US President Donald Trump announced his decision to suspend several Russian sanctions, stating it is an effort to keep Russia engaged in peace negotiations. Trump expressed on his Truth Social platform that he did not want to "do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded by calling any alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin a "historic mistake." Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed Trump's order as "an important and truly historic moment," suggesting the sanctions would have harmed the US and global markets.
Trump also claimed Zelenskiy "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," adding that he could have secured a better deal two years ago. Zelenskiy has consistently advocated for an end to the conflict since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, asserting that Putin does not desire peace.