U.S. has leverage: now Trump must use it against Russia — international affairs expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"On one hand, the U.S. is a powerful country capable of exerting real pressure. On the other hand, Trump doesn’t want to quarrel with Putin. He wants to maintain good relations because he has major geopolitical plans for Russia. His team believes that by easing tensions with Russia, they can pull it away from China, leaving China isolated. Some steps toward this have already been taken, as China’s stance on Ukraine and the EU has shifted significantly. Ukraine even allowed a Chinese TV company to collaborate with its Armed Forces, filming a report that aired on Chinese television. This caused serious outrage in Russia," he said.

Romaniuk believes tightening sanctions on Russian oil exports and targeting countries that help Russia bypass them could have a significant impact.

"There are ways to pressure Russia — imposing an oil embargo, blocking Russian tankers from passing through controlled straits, and tightening sanctions on third-party countries reselling Russian oil. Deploying American troops directly at Russia’s borders would also send a message: if you want us to withdraw, come to the negotiating table instead of dragging the world back to 1997. Russia can’t dictate NATO’s borders or demand the return of Finland, the Baltics, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to a pre-NATO era. How do you imagine it? Just because you want it? Well, it won't happen," he noted.

The international affairs expert believes U.S. President Donald Trump should slam the table and raise the heat in negotiations, just as he did when meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"He should do the same on Friday when he speaks with Putin. I think it’s time for Trump to say, ‘Enough of your nonsense. Now listen to me. Here’s a list of five or ten conditions — meet them within a week, or else...’ Trump had hoped for a 30-day ceasefire to take effect by next week, from Monday to Friday. At the very least, he wanted a temporary truce with an option to extend. But Putin is stalling. He’s not outright refusing Trump, just delaying the process, pushing it at least to 2026, insisting it’s a long-term issue that must be handled constructively — that’s how Putin sees it," Romaniuk added.

U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia

On March 11, the Ukrainian and American delegations met in Jeddah, following which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, and the United States agreed to immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance.

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “the ball is now in Russia’s court” after Ukraine agreed to the proposed ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, stating that Russia is currently studying the statements made following the March 11 talks between the United States and Ukraine.

White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said after talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia that President Donald Trump has decided to cancel the pause in military aid to Ukraine immediately. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has confirmed that President Donald Trump has canceled the pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Trump expressed hope that Russia would agree to a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine.

The EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, welcomed the joint statement by Ukraine and the United States following the negotiations and expressed readiness to participate fully in the steps to achieve peace.

On March 12, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that American representatives are already heading to Russia for a meeting regarding a ceasefire.