Breaking: White House ‘drawing up plans to ease sanctions on Russia’ – hours after Trump issues blistering new attack on Zelensky…See More

The US president hit out at Zelensky’s claim that the end of the war was ‘very, very far away’

THE Trump administration is reportedly drawing up plans to give Russia relief from their damaging sanctions.

The White House hope by easing the economical hurdles imposed on the Kremlin then it will help to strengthen international ties, a US official and another person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The White House has reportedly asked the state and treasury departments to draft up a list of sanctions that could be swiftly eased.

US officials are expected to then discuss these with fellow Russian representatives in the coming days, the sources said.

It is not immediately clear what Washington would ask for in return for any sanctions relief with pressure mounting to secure a peace deal.

It comes just hours after the US President blasted Volodymyr Zelensky in a Truth Social post earlier today as he said “this guy doesn’t want there to be peace”.

Trump was responding to a quote from the Ukrainian leader in which he said an end to the conflict with Russia is still “very, very far away”.

The Republican – who became embroiled in a heated bust up with Zelensky in the Oval Office last week – described his quotes as the “worst statement that could have been made”.

His post continued: “America will not put up with it for much longer!

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.

Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia.

“What are they thinking?”

Trump’s right-hand man in the White House Elon Musk also responded to the post as he said: “Zelensky wants a forever war, a never-ending graft meat grinder.”

The Tesla chief followed it up by simply saying: “This is evil.”

Trump and Musk’s passionate blasts come after Western leaders gathered in London for a talks hosted by the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Zelensky aiming to help forge a peace plan.

President Trump is now set to deliver his first joint address to Congress in less than 24 hours – as efforts to end the war with Russia hangs in balance.

Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump eerily warned that “TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG,” adding that he will “TELL IT LIKE IT IS”.

Trump also told Zelensky to be “more appreciative” as he gave a key update on the US-Ukraine minerals deal.

It was expected to be signed last week when Zelensky visited Washington.

But after Trump unceremoniously booted him out of the White House the deal was never completed.

Responding to a question about if the deal was completely off the table now, Trump said: “I don’t think so… it’s a great deal for us.”

He then suggested an update on the agreement could come as soon as tomorrow.

Fears also loom as Trump is reportedly preparing to meet with top aides to discuss suspending – or even canceling – US military aid to Ukraine, according to an official who spoke to the New York Times.

Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” on Friday, followed by Marco Rubio heaping blame for the “spat “fiasco” on the Ukrainian president.

The splintering relations threaten to destabilise the entire western alliance, but Europe has reacted by standing firm with Ukraine.

Trump’s ongoing battle over the Ukraine war hit boiling point last week when Zelensky sat down with the President and his VP JD Vance.

They held a lengthy conversation in the Oval Office before all hell broke loose as Vance and Zelensky argued before Trump berated the Ukrainian leader.

The raging US President gave the hero leader a humiliating dressing down and told him to come back when he wanted peace.

A snarling Trump then sparked global chaos by booting Zelensky out of the White House over the blistering row.

The pair were meant to sign a deal for Ukraine to hand over a large chunk of its mineral wealth as payback for billions of dollars of wartime aid from the US.

But the deal went unsigned as a humiliated Mr Zelensky “was told to leave” the White House early.

EUROPE’S TRUMP DILEMMA
The US President didn’t hold back in his latest attack against the continent as he claimed the US should worry more about “migrant rape gangs and drug lords” than Putin – or “end up like Europe”.

The President said on Truth Social: “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!”

He then boasted on Monday in another post that he was the “only President who gave none of Ukraine’s land to Putin’s Russia”.

Europe is having to grasp the potential reality that it would have to stand up to Russia’s meatgrinder almost alone if Trump decided to pull the US out of the Nato alliance.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday that the continent needed to start doing the “heavy lifting” in regards to the bloody Ukraine war.

His plea came as he hosted crunch talks in London with European leaders.

Defence spending within Nato has been a sore subject for Trump for years and, while the President has not yet actively called for the US to exit the alliance, he has not held back from slamming it.

Tesla tycoon and DOGE overseer Elon Musk has been vocal in his support for leaving Nato in various social media posts.

Trump previously revealed that he doubted the value of spending US money on Nato – as the US was protecting members who were “not protecting us”.

The Republican has also repetitively called for the bloc to double its spending target – and even threatened to quit during his first term.