Hard to keep up with the latest news relating to Russia’s unprovoked and genocidal war against Ukraine.

Yesterday, an understanding was reached between the United States and Ukraine, and now both await word from the aggressor – the Russian Federation.  And, as the PoliticoPro article below states, the Trump Administration seems to be contemplating increased pressure on Russia should it not accept the agreement put forward.

POLITICOPRO

Team Trump forms united front to pressure Russia on Ukraine ceasefire

The cohesive messaging from Trump’s camp comes after weeks of uncertainty on the U.S.’s position in the war.

By Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing | 03/12/2025 03:11 PM EDT

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President Donald Trump’s team appeared to land on the same page on a ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war Wednesday, with the president, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio all pushing the same message: Russia must acquiesce to the deal negotiated by the U.S. and Ukraine, or face economic consequences.

The message comes after weeks of uncertainty around the U.S.'s commitment to Ukraine that saw the Trump administration pause military support and intelligence sharing with the war-torn country, publicly eviscerate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seemingly align with the Kremlin’s goals for ending the fighting while falsely blaming Zelenskyy for igniting the war.

U.S. and Ukrainian delegations hashed out a preliminary agreement for peace Tuesday in Saudi Arabia in which the U.S. agreed to resume aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in return for the country’s acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire aimed at ending the yearslong war — if Russia also complies.

The president was quick to tout the agreement, saying Tuesday during an event to boost Tesla sales on the White House lawn that he hoped Russia would agree and that he planned to “talk to Vladimir Putin,” adding that “it takes two to tango.”  [Tesla lot on the White House lawn?  RAM]

Trump upped the stakes Wednesday, threatening economic penalties as a lever to pressure Russia into a deal.

"I can do things financially. It would be very bad for Russia,” he told reporters. “I don't want to do that, because I want to get peace,” adding that he could exert pressure “in a financial sense” that “would be devastating for Russia.”

Rubio similarly pointed to economic pressure as a means to force the Kremlin’s hand.

“Every single sanction that has been imposed on Russia remains in place,” Rubio told reporters Wednesday in Shannon, Ireland. He added: “There’s been no steps taken to relieve any of these things.” But he stopped short of committing to additional economic punishments, declining to “issue threats about what we’re going to do if Russia says no,” adding, “let’s hope they say yes.”

Rubio on Tuesday had previously placed responsibility on the Kremlin to complete the deal, saying “the ball is now in their court” in a briefing in Jeddah after the U.S. and Ukrainian parties had reached an agreement.

Even Vance — who was the catalyst for the dramatic Oval Office meltdown last month in which he and Trump publicly berated Zelenskyy and cast doubt on the future of U.S.-Ukraine relations — amplified the pressure campaign.

Speaking beside Trump at the White House Wednesday, Vance expressed support for the proposed agreement.

“We think we're in a very good place where the Ukrainians have agreed to a ceasefire and we're now going to see whether we can get the Russians to agree to a ceasefire too,” Vance said, as the president leaned toward him.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of the president and longtime Ukraine supporter who had called for Zelenskyy to “resign” or “change” after the Oval Office blowup last month, seemed to snap back to his original pro-Ukraine position. [Hard to characterize Graham, too many different positions. RAM]

Graham issued strong support for the ceasefire agreement, saying in a Wednesday morning post on X: “Zelensky has passed the test of wanting peace. It is now up to Putin to show his cards.”

The South Carolina senator said he planned to introduce “bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs” on Russia before the end of the week to push the deal, saying that if the Kremlin does not “pursue the ceasefire with the same vigor as Ukraine, there will be hell to pay.”

ROBERT MCCONNELL
Co-Founder, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation
Director of External Affairs, Friends of Ukraine Network

The introduction and parenthetical comments are Mr. McConnell’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation or the Friends of Ukraine Network (FOUN).