Donald Trump has renewed his threat to impose sanctions on Russia if there is no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
This comes after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where Trump claimed to have made significant strides in bringing the two nations closer to peace.
However, Moscow has since stated that there are no plans for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,”
Trump said, expressing apparent frustration with Moscow. The US president cited a recent Russian strike on an American factory in Ukraine, which caused a fire and injured several employees, as a reason for his consideration of sanctions.
Zelenskyy had accused Russia of trying to avoid a meeting, stating that Moscow wants to continue its offensive. “When Russia raises the issue of security guarantees, I honestly do not yet know who is threatening them,” Zelenskyy said, emphasizing Ukraine’s desire for foreign troops to deter Russian attacks.
Trump had previously hosted Zelenskyy and top European leaders at the White House, where they discussed the Ukraine conflict and potential security guarantees for Kyiv.
However, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cast doubt on any such arrangement, stating that discussing security guarantees without Russia would be “a road to nowhere.”
Lavrov also said that Putin is “ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit.
And this agenda is not ready at all.” This statement contradicts Trump’s claims of a diplomatic breakthrough in his bid to bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to peace.
In a separate development, Putin expressed optimism about restoring US-Russia relations during a visit to a nuclear research center.
“We had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska,” Putin said, adding that “the next steps now depend on the leadership of the United States, but I am confident that the leadership qualities of the current president.”
Trump’s comments about Putin’s potential attendance at the 2026 World Cup in the US have also sparked controversy, given Russia’s ban from international competitions following its invasion of Ukraine.