Secondary sanctions will stop Russia's ability to finance war - US Ambassador to NATO

US President Donald Trump still has leverage to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine as tough sanctions against Russia and countries that do business with it will come into force next week unless Vladimir Putin agrees to a ceasefire, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.

“The bottom line is, Putin needs to sell his oil … He's selling it to China. He's selling it to India. He's selling to Brazil. And those countries are now going to be subject to some pretty significant impact for them doing business with Russia, and Russia is not going to have any friends. They're not going to have any trading partners. And their ability to fund this war will end,” he said in an interview with Newsmax.

Whitaker said a ceasefire could only be achieved through diplomacy and negotiations. “Both sides are going to have to get a deal that is most likely not exactly their perfect scenario, but at the same time, the killing needs to end," he noted.

Whitaker said he is not concerned that tough sanctions on Russia and countries that do business with it, such as China, will bring the two U.S. adversaries closer together.

"We hold all the cards as the United States of America," Whitaker said. "And most importantly, Donald Trump holds all the cards. This isn't the last option that he has. If China and Russia want to join the world that follows the rules, does not invade other countries, does not kill and wreak havoc, then they're more than welcome to.”

At the same time, according to the US Ambassador to NATO, Trump has other options available to him besides sanctions: “President Trump again is going to, as he announced, implement these secondary sanctions on Aug. 8 if we don't have a ceasefire, but it's not what he's limited to. President Trump continues to have options available to him, and he'll use those if he deems necessary."