President Donald Trump would still like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, "but that's going to depend on some of the actions by the Russians," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday after the administration slapped sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs and 17 government officials.
"As the president has said, he wants to have a good relationship with Russia," Sanders said at the daily briefing. "However, at the same time, the president is going to continue to be tough until we see that change take place.
"We're going to continue working forward in what we can to have that meeting and have a meeting with Vladimir Putin at some point."
Among the Russians hit with the penalties — for "malign activity" around the world — was Putin's son-in-law, Kirill Shamalov, who operates in the Kremlin's energy sector.
A dozen Russian companies owned by the oligarchs were also targeted, along with a state-owned company that deals in arms and a subsidiary bank, the Treasury Department said.
President Trump this week invited Putin to meet with him, possibly at the White House.
But in recent weeks the administration has rolled out a series of actions, including several economic and diplomatic steps, to increase pressure on Putin and those in his circle.
"Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have," Trump said at a news conference with Baltic leaders on Tuesday.
Sanders said Friday that the White House hoped Putin "would respond positively" to the latest sanctions.
"We would like them to change their behavior and see significant changes.
"What we would like to see is the totality of the Russian behavior change," she said. "We want to continue to have conversations working forward."
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