US Treasury Secretary hinted that the Trump administration is considering new sanctions against Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the United States is considering all possible actions, including new sanctions, against Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine. Speaking to Fox News, Bessent said, โHe [Putin] has, in a despicable manner, increased the bombing campaign. So, I think with President Trump, all options are on the table and I think we’ll be examining those very closely this week.โ
No progress since Alaska Summit between Trump and Putinย
The comments come two weeks after the Alaska Summit, where US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. At the summit, Trump had given Russia a two-week deadline to show progress toward a peace agreement. That deadline ended on Monday, with no visible movement toward peace.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, defended Russia’s actions in Ukraine. He claimed the conflict started due to a 2014 coup in Kyiv, which he said was provoked by Western countries.
Putin also said the West’s push to bring Ukraine into NATO posed a direct threat to Russiaโs security, repeating a long-standing justification for the invasion.
Macron says Putin ‘played’ Trump by ignoring peace deadlineย
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that if Putin failed to commit to peace talks by Monday, it would show that he had once again “played” Donald Trump. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron warned, โIf that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump.โ
Zelenskyy Reacts to Missed Deadline
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on the situation last week, reminding the public that Trump had given Putin โa week or twoโ to agree to peace talks.ย With the deadline now over and no talks in sight, tensions betweenย