Trump said now is "not the best time" for sanctions.

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, suggested that Washington will not impose new sanctions against Moscow at this time.

"I'm not against anything. I'm just saying that maybe this isn't the right time," he said, recalling that he recently spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump called the conversation productive.

The Republican indicated that imposing sanctions "remains an option" and "could happen in a week or two." He said he would later speak with Congressmen Mike Johnson and John Thune about a bill that would toughen measures against Moscow. The bill was sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, and Thune said on October 16 that the document would be considered within the next 30 days.

The US President allowed that he could meet with Putin in two weeks; the summit will take place in Budapest. This will be the presidents' second face-to-face meeting since the Republican's return to the White House (the first took place on August 15 in Alaska). On October 17, Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that the Russian economy has acquired a "certain immunity" to sanctions. Moscow considers the restrictions illegal and demands their lifting.

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