U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, September 3, issued a fresh warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he had no direct message for Putin but made it clear that consequences could follow.
“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand,” Trump said. “Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy, and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
The president grew visibly tense when pressed about whether his administration had done enough against Russia.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China… cost Russia hundreds of billions of dollars? You call that no action?” Trump asked.
He also hinted at more steps to come: “I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three.”
Trump recalled his warning to India two weeks ago, saying, “If India buys, India’s got big problems. That’s what happens.”
While Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures, his administration has so far held back from imposing new sanctions, citing ongoing efforts to reach a peace deal.
