Is Donald Trump likely to announce sanctions on Russia today over Ukraine war?

Will Donald Trump announced sanctions on Russia today?

There are reports that the US President is set to make a major announcement when it comes to Russia today (July 14).

Trump on Sunday had slammed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Trump last week too had taken aim at Putin on similar lines.

“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth”, Trump said. “We’re not happy with Putin. I’m not happy with Putin. I can tell you that much right now, because he’s killing a lot of people.”

Trump came to office vowing to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov twice last week regarding the war with Ukraine.

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But what did Trump say? What do we know about Trumps announcement? Will he likely sanction Russia today?

Let’s take a closer look

Will Trump unveil sanctions on Russia?

“Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said. “So, there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”

“I am very disappointed with President Putin. I thought he was somebody that meant what he said,” Trump said when asked about sanctions.

There are reports that bipartisan bill sanctioning Moscow could be forthcoming.

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has unveiled one such bill – which he described as a ‘sledgehammer’.

“This congressional package that we’re looking at would give President Trump the ability to impose 500 percent tariffs on any country that helps Russia and props up Putin’s war machine,” Graham told CBS News. “He can dial it up or down. He can go to zero, to 500. He has maximum flexibility.”

India here may find itself an unintentional target.

“As for sanctions, the bill which will not only be against Russia, but will also target countries like China and India that buy Russian energy products that finance Putin’s war machine," Graham added.

In 2024, Russian oil comprised around a third of India’s total crude imports and  nearly a fifth of China’s oil imports.

“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” Trump told NBC News in a telephone interview.

“It’s at my option if I want to use it,” Trump said of the measure. “They’re going to pass a very major and very biting sanctions bill, but it’s up to the president as to whether or not he wants to exercise it.

Asked about such a bill last week, Trump played coy.

“I’m looking at it very strongly”, he said.

Will US send offensive weapons?

According to reports, the US could also send Ukraine offensive weapons.

Trump has thus far insisted on sending Ukraine only weapons it can use to defend itself.

“The plan was likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow,” the sources told Axios.

Trump on Sunday  had said that Washington could send Kyiv “various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment”.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump added.

While Trump said he hadn’t decided about the number of Patriot batteries, he added that “they’re going to have some because they do need protection”.

Trump said these would be sent via Nato.

“We’re sending weapons to Nato, and Nato is paying for those weapons, a hundred percent,” the president said. “We’re going to be sending Patriots to Nato and then Nato will distribute that,” he added.

Asked what he would do earlier this week, Trump responded, “I wouldn’t be telling you. Don’t we want to have a little surprise?”

There are also reports that Trump is considering additional funding for Ukraine.

Kviv currently receives weapons by through funding provided by the previous Joe Biden administration.

What do experts say?

Some say he has grown weary of being unable to do so and increasingly frustrated with Putin – whom he has previously repeatedly praised.

Trump appeared to grow testy in public when asked about why the US previously stopped the flow of weapons to Ukraine.

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” Trump said last week.

Pentagon officials claimed that the White House was not in the loop when it came to defence shipments being paused to Ukraine.

The original decision was seemingly made by deputy defence secretary Stephen Feinberg which then signed off by defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

Ukrainian president Vlodomyr Zelenskyy and Trump had a disastrous meeting at the White House in February when US Vice-President JD Vance claimed Ukraine was “ungrateful” for the help against Russia.

Some think that Trump has had an awakening when it comes to Putin.

“I think Trump gets it now,” Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations told John Vause on CNN International. “He’s got to put more pressure on Russia if he’s going to get a deal with Ukraine.”

“If a new sanctions bill does pass, and the United States does impose costs on Moscow for the first time during the current administration, this would be a radical departure from Trump’s consistent policy,” Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera.

“It remains to be seen whether Trump will in fact allow this, or whether his deference to Putin will mean he continues to resist any possible countermeasures against Moscow.”

“Western media is full of commentary on what it calls Trump‘s ‘changing stance’ on Putin. But as yet, there is no reason to think that anything has changed at all,” Giles said.

“There is a wave of optimism across the world that this might finally lead to a change in US policy. But, on every previous occasion, this has not happened.”

Experts believe no matter what Trump thinks, Putin will not put his relationship with the US president over his aims in Ukraine.

“He will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Trump," Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, told The New York Times.

With inputs from agencies