U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he will punish Russia and President Vladimir Putin if Moscow doesn’t come to the table and agree to peace talks or a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Russia has shown no signs of intending to do either, instead continuing and increasing its attacks on Ukraine as it looks to consolidate gains on the battlefield.
And still, Trump is holding off on releasing a big bazooka of extra sanctions and economic punishment that could hurt an already weakened Russia.
The reason for the standstill is strategic and goes beyond Russia, according to analysts, who warn the longer Trump holds off, the more he’s undermining his and the U.S.′ position.
“The Russian budget is actually under a lot of pressure... so if there were to be any more significant sanctions targeting Russian oil trade from the U.S. — which they’ve talked about but not done — that would put the budget under greater pressure. It hasn’t happened,” Chris Weafer, the chief executive of Moscow-based Macro-Advisory, told CNBC Monday.
