President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Moscow on Friday, threatening sweeping new sanctions—or possibly tariffs—if there’s no progress toward peace in Ukraine within two weeks.
Speaking from the White House, Trump expressed growing frustration following his recent Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a subsequent deadly Russian strike on a Ukrainian factory.
“I’m not happy about it, and I’m not happy about anything having to do with that war,” Trump told reporters. “It’s going to be a very important decision—whether we impose massive sanctions, massive tariffs, or both. Or we do nothing and say, ‘It’s your fight.’”
The comments came just days after Trump facilitated a follow-up call with Putin aimed at organizing a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But Zelensky said Friday that Russia was actively stalling those efforts.
“Since they don’t want to end it, they will look for space to avoid it,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “The meeting is one of the components of how to end the war.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the idea of a summit in the near term, telling NBC News that “the agenda is not ready at all.” Moscow has maintained that such a meeting is impossible until Ukraine agrees to certain preconditions.
Asked about Lavrov’s remarks, Trump replied, “We’ll see. It’s like oil and vinegar a little bit.”
Trump-Putin Alaska Summit and World Cup Comments
At the same White House event, Trump displayed a photo of his Alaska meeting with Putin and revealed that the Russian leader expressed interest in attending the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States. Trump held up a signed photo and quipped, “He may be coming, and he may not—depending on what happens.”
Notably, Russia remains banned from international competitions due to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and is not currently eligible to qualify for the 2026 tournament.
Despite the ongoing war and sanctions, Putin struck an optimistic tone on Friday during a visit to a nuclear research facility.
“With the arrival of President Trump, I think that a light at the end of the tunnel has finally loomed,” Putin said. “We had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska.”
Brutal Toll of War and Negotiation Roadblocks
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and since then, tens of thousands of civilians have died. Analysts estimate over a million casualties on both sides combined. The front remains active, with Russia targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
Moscow continues to demand Kyiv cede significant territory in the eastern and southern regions, while offering limited concessions on smaller parcels of land. Zelensky has dropped his earlier condition that a ceasefire must precede any meeting, though he insists Ukraine won’t negotiate “under the barrel of a gun.”
NATO’s Role and Security Guarantees
At their joint press conference, Zelensky and NATO’s Rutte discussed long-term security guarantees meant to deter future aggression from Russia.
“The guarantees ought to be similar to NATO’s Article 5,” Zelensky said. “An attack on Ukraine must be treated like an attack on all.”
Rutte confirmed that NATO allies are working closely with Ukraine to establish robust defense commitments.
“This is what we are now working on to define,” Rutte said. “So that Russia will never again try to attack Ukraine.”
With a two-week deadline now hanging over the Kremlin, Trump’s strategy appears to be a mix of public pressure, economic threat, and backchannel diplomacy—all aimed at forcing progress toward a resolution in one of the world’s most volatile conflicts.
The post With No Ukraine Peace Deal, Trump Again Threatens Russia Sanctions appeared first on Real News Now.
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