US President Donald Trump said that the proposed meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was canceled by Washington.
According to Modern.az, he stated this in response to journalists' questions during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“I did not consider this appropriate,” Trump explained the reason.
Against the backdrop of the announcement, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Russia's “Rosneft” and “Lukoil” companies.
“I respect Putin, but I thought a meeting would be unproductive now. We would not have achieved the desired outcome,” he said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The White House chief added that communication with Putin “is pleasant but yields no results” and that the meeting could be resumed in the future.
The cancellation of the meeting is explained by Washington's conclusion that Russia “is not genuinely approaching the peace process.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the sanctions are aimed at “the two largest oil companies financing the Kremlin's war machine.”
The sanctions entail the freezing of these companies' assets in US territory and the prohibition of new contracts with them.
“The time has come. We have waited too long. These are significant sanctions. I hope both Putin and Zelensky agree to peace, because tango is a dance for two," Trump said.
Against the backdrop of new sanctions, oil prices have risen. The European Union also approved its 19th package of sanctions against Russia on the same day, with new prohibitions imposing restrictions on the import of Russian gas.
