US President Donald Trump has warned that his administration is considering imposing a new round of “large-scale” sanctions on Russia, targeting the country’s banking sector and foreign trade. The move, he suggested, would be used as leverage to push Moscow and Kiev toward negotiations and a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. The announcement, made on March 7 via a post on Truth Social, signals a potential escalation in Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Russia.

Trump justified his stance by citing Russia’s battlefield gains in Ukraine. He described Moscow’s military operations as “absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.” According to him, this necessitates urgent action from the United States to pressure both sides into peace talks. The former president, who has positioned himself as a dealmaker, insisted that Moscow and Kiev “get to the [negotiating] table right now, before it is too late.”

Trump’s latest remarks come amid growing frustration in Washington regarding the effectiveness of the current sanctions regime. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently criticized the sanctions imposed under President Joe Biden as “egregiously weak,” suggesting that they had failed to meaningfully deter Russia’s war effort. Speaking at the Economic Club of New York on March 6, Bessent indicated that the Trump administration is prepared to go “all in” if additional measures provide leverage in the peace negotiations.

While the United States and its allies have already imposed severe financial and trade restrictions on Russia since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in........

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