Trump threatens to withdraw peace efforts and impose sanctions on Russia after summit failure

It seems that U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer hiding his displeasure with the stalemate in the Russian-Ukrainian war, which is entering its third year without a clear prospect for peace, amid the failure of efforts to hold a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Reuters revealed that Trump publicly expressed his growing frustration with the continuation of the war, indicating that he has not yet been able to achieve a breakthrough in the peace file between Moscow and Kyiv, despite several diplomatic attempts.

The U.S. president did not stop at expressing his annoyance but hinted at three pressure tactics that could reshuffle the cards on the war and negotiation table:

In statements made last Friday, Trump said: "I will make a very important decision regarding the next step... either massive sanctions, or high tariffs, or both together, and maybe nothing, and I will leave it to be their own battle."

Trump clarified that he is seriously considering stepping back from his role as a mediator in the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, after his recent efforts hit a wall of complications, especially from the Russian side.

In a surprising move, U.S. officials revealed that the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) has imposed secret restrictions preventing Ukraine from using U.S. long-range "ATACMS" missile systems to strike targets within Russian territory, which reduces Kyiv's ability to respond effectively to Russian attacks.

Officials confirmed that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth retains the final word on allowing or preventing the use of these strategic missiles.

This tension comes after failed talks that Trump held last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Alaska summit, followed by another meeting at the White House that brought Trump together with Zelensky and several European leaders, without these meetings leading to any significant progress in the negotiation process.

Trump aspired to arrange a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but this idea collided with Moscow's refusal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced in an interview with NBC on Friday that "there are no plans to hold a meeting with the Ukrainian president at this time," adding that "Putin is ready for dialogue when there is a clear agenda, which is currently not available."

And despite the efforts made by the White House to rally international support for a comprehensive peace process, the hardline positions from both sides do not suggest an end to the war is near. The U.S. administration faces increasing challenges in convincing Russia to return to the negotiating table, amid rising internal pressures on Trump to take a firmer stance.

Between sanctions, withdrawal from mediation, and control over the weapons provided to Kyiv, it seems that Trump is putting all his options on the table. Will he succeed in breaking the stalemate, or will the war continue to claim more lives without a near end?