Trump suggests tightening sanctions against Russia if Putin does not engage in negotiations.

President of the United States Donald Trump describes the imposition of sanctions against Russia as 'likely' if the Kremlin refuses to negotiate peace in Ukraine.

He said this during a press conference at the White House, according to Ukrinform.

In response to a question about whether he would impose additional sanctions against Russia if Putin does not sit down at the negotiating table with him regarding peace in Ukraine, the head of the White House answered: 'It sounds likely.'

When Trump was asked if he believes the war needs to be halted, he responded: 'The war should never have started, and if you had a competent president - which you didn’t have - then there wouldn’t have been a war.'

He reaffirmed his claim that the 2016 election, in which he lost to Biden, 'was rigged.'

The US president also noted that he does not yet know when he may meet with Volodymyr Zelensky. He emphasized that the Ukrainian leader is striving for peace, which he expressed to him 'very decisively.' However, according to Trump, it is unknown whether Putin wants this, and 'it takes two to tango.'

Additionally, the head of the White House reiterated that there are 'many hundreds of thousands of dead' on both sides, adding that media reports on the casualties of this war are underestimated. He stated that he would consider further armament supplies to Ukraine after meeting with Zelensky and Putin. Trump also pointed out the need to increase EU assistance to Ukraine.