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US President Donald Trump has said he is "strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs" on Russia until a "ceasefire and a final peace settlement agreement" with Ukraine is reached.
His statement comes after Moscow launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure on Thursday. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote, "Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely "pounding" Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large-scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED." "To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late," he added. Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, Ukraine and the United States have indicated they will meet in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss a framework for ending Russia's war. Zelenskyy said on Thursday he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before bilateral talks with US officials. US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed he would meet Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, signalling that he would discuss an "initial ceasefire" and a "framework" for a longer agreement, as per Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the talks would take place in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Notably, after a fiery exchange with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on March 1, Trump suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Trump used some strong words during his media interaction with Zelenskyy, telling the visiting leader that he "does not have the cards" and is not "acting thankful" for the support the United States has provided to Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began in February 2022. In the explosive media interaction with Trump, Ukraine's President had emphasised the need for security guarantees and noted that the Russian President Vladimir Putin had continued with his actions against his country even during Trump's first term as President. US Vice President JD Vance also expressed his disapproval of Zelenskyy's remarks, saying it is "disrespectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country." Trump emphasised the need for a deal to bring peace and prevent killings and told Zelenskyy, "if you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks". (ANI)
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