US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine needs to increase pressure not only on Moscow, but also on St. Petersburg, The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reports, citing sources.

According to Ignatius, Trump asked Zelensky why he had not struck Moscow. We can, if you give us weapons, Zelensky replied.

On July 14, Trump announced tougher measures against Russia. The US President gave Moscow a 50-day ultimatum to conclude a peace agreement. Otherwise, Trump threatened to impose 100% duties on Russian goods.

According to a person familiar with the deal, Trump decided to escalate for three reasons. Trump believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was disrespecting him by feigning peaceful intentions but ignoring calls for a cease-fire. He was also impressed by the effectiveness of American military power (B-2s and Tomahawks) against Iran. Trump believed that Putin would negotiate only under threat of greater force, following the principle of escalating to de-escalate.

Trump's ultimatum could worsen the peace talks, Responsible Statecraft believes. Washington's secondary sanctions will not seriously harm the Russian economy, since trade turnover between the countries is too small. If Washington imposes sanctions on Russia's trading partners, this policy will put pressure on the US economy and force Trump to impose painful economic sanctions on key security partners. But even in this case, there is no guarantee that this will have a significant impact on Moscow.