President Trump was on the defensive and the offensive on Wednesday, forcefully denying a “FAKE NEWS!” story about missile permissions for Ukraine while confirming he had canceled a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On social media, Trump blasted a story alleging the US had approved Ukraine’s use of British Storm Shadow missiles deep inside Russia. “The U.S. has nothing to do with those missiles,” Trump wrote, distancing his administration from any potential escalation.
Simultaneously, Trump confirmed to reporters that his anticipated meeting with Putin was off. “We cancelled the meeting,” Trump said. “It didn’t feel right to me… But we’ll do it in the future.”
This diplomatic chill was accompanied by a major economic blow to Moscow. The same day, the Trump administration announced new sanctions against Russia’s top two oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, in response to Putin’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine.
The combination of the missile denial, the canceled summit, and the new sanctions paints a complex picture of the administration’s Russia policy. It appears to be swinging from diplomatic outreach to frustration and economic punishment as the war in Ukraine grinds on.