US President Donald Trump has announced that he is prepared to move forward with a new set of sanctions against Russia after the country carried out its largest air attack on Ukraine since the war began.
When reporters asked him if he was ready to begin the second stage of sanctions, Trump answered yes.However, he did not explain exactly what this second stage would include. The comments came while he was speaking to the press on the White House lawn before leaving for the US Open tennis tournament in New York City.
Last month, before his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump had already warned that he might introduce more sanctions. These measures could include extra tariffs or penalties on countries that continue to buy Russian oil. Since oil and gas sales are a major source of money for Moscow, such sanctions are meant to weaken Russia’s ability to fund its war against Ukraine.
Ukraine welcomed Trump’s quick response. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the latest Russian strike shows why the world needs to act more firmly. She described the attack as barbaric and said Ukraine is grateful for Trump’s readiness to push for tougher penalties. This step is very important for Ukraine as our people continue to suffer every day from Russian strikes of increasing scale, she added. We hope this decision comes into effect soon.
Although Trump had sounded somewhat hopeful after his Alaska meeting with Putin about the chance of peace, the reality on the ground has been grim. Russia launched an enormous overnight attack, using at least 810 drones and decoys. The assault killed four people, injured 44 others, and, for the first time since the invasion began, hit Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv.
Ukraine said its air defenses managed to shoot down more than 745 drones as well as four missiles. Even so, the scale of the attack broke previous records. Russia’s largest aerial assault before this happened in July, when it launched 728 drones.
Speaking after the strike, Prime Minister Svyrydenko emphasized the human cost.The government building can be repaired, but lost lives cannot be replaced, she said. She urged the world to respond with stronger actions, not just words, especially by targeting Russia’s oil and gas industry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also condemned the attack, calling it ruthless.He promised that Ukraine would deliver an appropriate response. Zelensky recently rejected an invitation from Putin to travel to Moscow for peace talks. Instead, he said that if Putin truly wanted dialogue, he should come to Kyiv.
He was very eager to meet with President Trump, the President of the United States, Zelensky told ABC News. Putin didn’t want to meet me, but he very much wanted to meet with President Trump, to show the world that he is being welcomed.
Until now, Trump had avoided commenting on Russia’s latest strikes. His short remarks on the White House lawn before leaving for the US Open mark his first public reaction.
