President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should consider having someone else negotiate with Russia, while defending his suspension of congressional sanctions against Russia as talks continue.
Trump said the penalties could disrupt negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing himself as working on a deal involving Ukraine and other matters. He had signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on Sept. 18, according to washingtonsun.com, then suspended most of its enforcement Friday. In a social-media post Sunday, Trump said he did not want to push Russia away from negotiations.
Separately, White House envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to travel to Oslo on Tuesday for discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders on a peace proposal to present to Russia, Axios reported.