Trump has explicitly threatened Russia, stating that Putin will face extremely serious consequences if he does not cease the war in Ukraine.
Action will be taken if agreement on halting the war is not reached – Trump
During a media interaction at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump stated that if Russia does not agree to halt the war after the meeting with Putin in Alaska, it will face action. During the press conference, media personnel questioned Trump, asking if Vladimir Putin would face any consequences if he did not agree to stop the war even after the meeting scheduled for Friday. Responding, Trump said, “Yes, absolutely. I don’t need to say anything about it, but understand that there will be serious consequences.”
Trump also stated that he would advocate for a second meeting with Putin to discuss ending the war, which would also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
No second meeting if the first meeting is unsuccessful – Trump
Trump stated that if the first meeting goes well, they will hold a second meeting soon. “I would like to do this almost immediately, and if they would like to invite me there, there will be a second meeting soon between President Putin, President Zelenskyy, and myself.” The US President also clarified that if he doesn’t receive the desired response, this second meeting will not take place. Meanwhile, Russia has accused Ukraine of escalating attacks on Wednesday, prior to the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15th. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that as the Russia-US summit approaches, Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian territories. Last week, 127 Russian citizens were victims of shelling and drone attacks; 22 were killed, and 105 were injured.
