Trump Conditions Changes in Russia Sanctions on 'Resolving Syria and Ukraine Issues'

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Sunday, referring to his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that now is the time for 'constructive cooperation with Russia,' but emphasized that the U.S. stance on sanctions against Russia will not change until the 'issues in Ukraine and Syria are resolved.' In a series of tweets published early Sunday Washington time, Trump briefly mentioned the topics discussed with his Russian counterpart, including potential Russian interference in U.S. elections, establishing a ceasefire in parts of Syria, addressing cyber threats, and the sanctions against Russia. Trump's first meeting with Putin took place on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, and after the meeting, which lasted over two hours, the U.S. Secretary of State announced an agreement between the two sides to stop violence in Syria. In this context, Trump stated in one of his tweets that he discussed 'establishing a ceasefire in parts of Syria' that could save many lives with Vladimir Putin. The U.S. President further emphasized that 'now is the time to move forward and engage in constructive cooperation with Russia.' In another tweet, Trump mentioned that sanctions against Russia were not discussed in the recent meeting with Putin, while also stating that 'no changes will occur until the issues in Syria and Ukraine are resolved.' Since Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, which led to the annexation of Crimea, it has been the subject of a series of sanctions from the European Union and the United States. Recently, the U.S. Senate also considered additional sanctions against Russia in an amendment to the Iran sanctions bill. This bill, which passed with the support of 98 U.S. senators, is now on the agenda of the House of Representatives. If this plan is approved by the House, the signature of the U.S. President will turn it into law. Regarding 'Russian interference' in U.S. elections, the U.S. President also stated in his series of tweets on Sunday that he asked his Russian counterpart twice about potential Russian interference in the U.S. presidential elections, but Vladimir Putin denied such claims. Trump reminded that he had previously stated his position on this matter. The potential Russian interference in U.S. elections is the subject of independent investigations by two intelligence committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as a special counsel appointed for this purpose, although the U.S. President has criticized these investigations several times, and Russia has also denied any interference. According to a Reuters report, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Friday that Donald Trump accepted Russia's assurance regarding non-interference in the U.S. presidential elections. The same news agency quoted Vladimir Putin as saying that in his meeting with the U.S. President, 'he asked questions, I answered, and it seemed to me that he was satisfied with my answers.' Reuters recalls that Donald Trump had previously stated that he believed Russia could have been involved in hacking the emails of the Democratic National Committee, but other countries may have also done so. He also clarified on Sunday that in his discussions with the Russian President, an agreement was reached to establish an 'invulnerable' cyber security unit that would address issues such as 'election hacking' and 'many other negative issues.'