WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Sept 12 warned that his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “running out fast” as ceasefire talks over Ukraine showed no progress, raising the likelihood of sweeping new sanctions on Moscow.
Speaking in a televised interview, Mr Trump threatened penalties targeting Russian banks, oil, and tariffs, asserting that Moscow could be hit “very hard” if it failed to resume negotiations. He maintained that he had already acted against Russia, citing expanded tariffs on India for its continued purchase of Russian energy, and stressed that the crisis was “a Europe problem, much more than our problem.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that talks with Kyiv were on pause despite efforts pushed by Washington after a Trump-Putin meeting in August. “Communication channels exist. They are established… but for now, perhaps, we can talk about a pause,” Mr Peskov told reporters.
The United States is expected to press allies in the Group of Seven (G-7) to step up trade and financial penalties, including 100 per cent tariffs on Russian oil sales to China and India. Washington’s proposal also urges European powers to create a legal pathway to seize frozen Russian sovereign assets, valued at an estimated US$300 billion, and redirect them towards Ukraine’s defence.
Earlier this week, in a call with US and European Union officials, Mr Trump floated the option of imposing sweeping tariffs on India and China, but only if European nations made similar moves. “The US would be willing to mirror tariffs imposed by Europe,” Bloomberg reported him as saying, underscoring his strategy of maximising pressure on Moscow through coordinated international measures.