WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a bill to impose sanctions on Russia that is winding through the US Senate will be "guided by me," but suggested it may be better to allow the Kremlin and Ukraine to continue fighting "for a while."

Asked about the legislation that was introduced by close ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, Trump said lawmakers will be "guided by me. That's the way it's supposed to be. They're going to be guided by me."

"I haven't looked at it. It's a bill on sanctions, etc. I'm a very quick study. At the right time, I'll do what I want to do, but it could very well be okay. I have to see. But they're waiting for me to decide on what to do, and I'll know, maybe very soon, it's a harsh bill, yeah, very harsh," Trump told reporters as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Trump likened the war to two children fighting, "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," and said he provided that analogy directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Wednesday.

"Sometimes you let them fight for a little while. You see it in hockey. You see it in sports, the referees let them go for a couple of seconds. Let them go for a little while before you pull them apart," he said.

Merz demurred when asked about Trump's reference, saying, "We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is." He maintained, however, that the EU is seeking to significantly ramp up pressure on Russia.

"Let's talk about what we can do jointly, and we are ready to do what we can. And you know that we gave support to Ukraine, and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia, the European Union did, and we should talk about that," he said.​​​​​​​