Trump explained his unwillingness to tighten sanctions against Russia

Sanctions against Russia will not be tightened, as there is a chance to achieve a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. This was announced on May 19 by US President Donald Trump in an interview with reporters at the White House.

"I think there is a chance to achieve something," Trump said, noting that tougher sanctions against Russia could significantly worsen the situation. Meanwhile, he admitted that the time for tougher sanctions may come.

The US president said that the Russian side, in his opinion, is ready for dialogue on the cessation of hostilities and is not dragging its feet on this issue, which, as Trump recalled, "would not have happened" if he were president.

In addition, the US president said that there are no plans to send American soldiers to Ukraine. At the same time, he said that he would consider the possibility of increasing the supply of weapons to Kiev, but expressed hope for the end of the conflict.

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On the same day, Trump stated that if significant progress was not made in resolving the Ukrainian conflict, the United States could transfer the role of mediator in the peacekeeping process to Europe.

Putin and Trump had a telephone conversation on May 19 that lasted more than two hours. During the conversation, the Russian leader expressed gratitude for the U.S. participation in the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.