US Pauses New Russia Sanctions to Keep Ukraine Deal Talks Alive, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said he’s holding off on new sanctions against Russia in order to preserve the chance for a deal with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

“If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that,” Trump said Wednesday at the White House. “Let me tell you, I’m a lot tougher than the people you’re talking about.”