Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty
Topics: Donald Trump, Russia, News, US News
Gerrard Kaonga
Donald Trump and Russia are continuing to butt heads as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, with the Kremlin now addressing a threat from the US.
In his latest attempt to cease the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Trump has issued another ultimatum.
The US President has issued a few warnings against Vladimir Putin, and last time, he said the country would face 'economically severe' consequences if a peace deal wasn't agreed to.
Over the weekend, the 79-year-old said that he would be willing to enact tougher sanctions on Russia to force them to come to an agreement about peace.
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However, when Russia has ignored his deadlines or threats, he hasn't enacted these harsher measures, and major attacks on Ukraine have continued.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday (September 7) following an aerial bombardment in Ukraine that killed four people, Trump said that he was ‘not happy with the whole situation’ and was prepared to take things further.
Trump was also asked by reporters whether he was prepared to move to ‘second phases’ when it came to sanctions on Russia, and he replied: "Yeah, I am."
This came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said additional economic pressure by the United States and Europe could prompt Putin to enter peace talks with Ukraine.
Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press, he said: "We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us."
He added that if the EU increased their sanctions on Russia, then their 'economy will be in total collapse, and that will bring President Putin to the table'.
And now, Russia issued a warning of their own. According to Sky News, the Kremlin reacted by stating that Europe and Ukraine were attempting to pull the US into their orbit regarding the conflict.
They added that no sanctions would make the country 'change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about'.
It is not clear how things will progress going forward, but many European leaders have reiterated their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
French president Emmanuel Macron has said that 26 of Ukraine’s international allies have committed to deploying troops 'by land, sea, or air' as a guarantee of Ukraine's security after a ceasefire deal is agreed.
Macron has, however, clarified that he does not hope or wish to wage war with Russia and instead protects against 'any major new aggression'.
Putin responded to this message by indicating that any international troops inside of Ukraine could be considered ‘legitimate targets’.
He said: “If any troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for their destruction.
“And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop."