Political analyst calls Trump's sanctions a means of pressuring Russia on the Ukrainian issue

US President Donald Trump will try to put pressure on Russia on the Ukrainian issue through sanctions, but whether this method will be effective is a big question. Denis Denisov, an expert of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, shared this opinion with Izvestiya on February 7.

The day before, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that the US president intends to tighten sanctions against Russia in the oil sector. He also added that the entire Trump administration is actively involved in discussing ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

"It seems to me that everything is happening quite logically, and such a position was to be expected. Another thing is that, as often happens, we have taken too hopeful a look at the person of Trump, his new administration, perceiving them almost as conductors of Russian interests in foreign policy. Of course, this is not the case," Denisov commented.

According to him, Trump, as a businessman, considers economic restrictions against the Russian Federation to be effective. The American leader, the political scientist believes, sees in sanctions a way to adjust Moscow's point of view on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, since now the positions of the United States and the Russian Federation are largely opposite.

Earlier, on February 6, Trump said that Washington is currently holding "very constructive talks" with Moscow and Kiev to find a way to resolve the current conflict.

At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing on February 5 that Russia and theUnited States are holding talks with each other at the level of separate agencies, and their dialog has recently become more active. At the same time, he noted that there are no specifics on the talks between the leaders of the two states yet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that Russia has never given up on peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed upon in Istanbul and not on the basis of "ephemeral demands."

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.