President Donald Trump warned that Russia will face “very severe” consequences if it does not agree to stop the war in Ukraine. His comments came Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, just days before his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
When a reporter asked if Russia would face consequences if Putin refused to end the war, Trump replied, “Yes, they will,” adding that possible actions could include tariffs and sanctions. “I don’t have to say more. There will be severe consequences,” he said.
Trump’s meeting with Putin is scheduled for Friday, August 15, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska — a base that played a key role during the Cold War. The U.S. president also said he hopes to arrange a second meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if the first meeting goes well.
“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump said. “It could happen almost immediately, with President Putin, President Zelensky, and me — if they want me there.” But he made it clear that this second meeting will not happen if he doesn’t get the answers he’s looking for.
Trump’s comments followed a virtual meeting with European leaders earlier in the week. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was focusing on securing a ceasefire. During the same meeting, Zelensky accused Putin of “bluffing” before the Alaska talks and claimed Russia is trying to pressure Ukraine on all fronts to make it seem capable of occupying the entire country.
The Trump-Putin meeting is expected to be closely watched around the world, with high stakes for the future of the war in Ukraine.
