President Donald Trump threatened ‘very severe consequences’ for Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to end the war in Ukraine after their meeting in Alaska on Friday.
Trump issued the warning Wednesday as he is preparing for a sit-down with Putin in Anchorage.
‘Yes, they will. There will be consequences,’ Trump said in response to a reporter’s question on the topic. The president then refused to elaborate on what the punishment would be.
‘I don’t have to say. There will be very severe consequences,’ he added.
Trump later appeared to cast doubt on whether he could convince Putin to stop bombing Ukrainian civilians.
‘I’ll tell you what. I’ve had that conversation with him. I’ve had a lot of good conversations with him then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the streets,’ Trump said.
‘So, I guess the answer to that is no, because I’ve had this conversation. I want to end the war. It’s Biden’s war, but I want to end it. I’ll be very proud to end this war, along with the five other wars I ended. But, I guess the answer to that is probably no,’ Trump continued.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said Wednesday that there is ‘no sign’ that Russia is preparing to end the war in Ukraine.
‘At present, there is no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war. Our coordinated efforts and joint actions – of Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and all countries that seek peace – can definitely compel Russia to make peace,’ Zelenskyy said on X.