Reuters reported on Tuesday that Trump administration officials are discussing the likelihood that a peace deal to end the Ukraine war will not be reached within the next few months and are drafting plans to increase pressure on both Russia and Ukraine.
US officials told Reuters that neither a full ceasefire nor a lasting peace deal is imminent, meaning the war will drag on, and Ukraine will require more Western military support. The US continues to fuel the war by providing weapons and intelligence to Ukraine.
The report said the US was initially frustrated with Ukraine but is now unhappy with Russia’s unwillingness to accept US terms. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday that Moscow is taking the US proposals seriously but couldn’t accept them in their current form.
The US frustration with Russia has been reflected by President Trump, who recently said that he’s “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin and threatened to put “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil.
Amid the faltering negotiations, a group of 50 bipartisan senators introduced a bill to place a huge 500% tariff on any country that purchases Russian oil, gas, or uranium if peace talks fail. The bill includes additional sanctions and was introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal, two staunch supporters of the Ukraine proxy war.
“We are pleased to announce that we have received overwhelming bipartisan support for our primary and secondary sanctions legislation against Russia. The sanctions against Russia require tariffs on countries who purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products. They are hard hitting for a reason,” Graham and Blumenthal said in a statement.
