Unwilling to relent in considering its options regarding more sanctions on Russia, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned that “all options are on the table” for further sanctions on Moscow, as it continues its aggression against Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News, Bessent accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ramping up airstrikes despite signals in recent meetings that he was open to talks. “Since the historic meeting in Anchorage… Putin has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated he wanted to do. As a matter of fact, he has in a despicable manner increased the bombing campaign," Bessent said. “With President Trump, all options are on the table, and I think we’ll be examining those very closely this week."
The Trump administration has been, so far, reluctant to slap further sanctions on Russia in its continued efforts to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, despite repeated threats.
Following the summit with President Vladimir Putin, Trump last month said he would know within “two weeks” whether Russia was serious about entering negotiations — invoking a deadline he has frequently cited, only to see it come and go without actions. But in those same comments, he floated the possibility of walking away altogether, a possibility he has yet to rule out, administration officials previously told CNN.
Trump reiterated in recent days that he would punish Russia with sanctions if it refuses to make peace, saying, “It will not be a world war but it will be an economic war.” He did not set a deadline on when he might enact those economic penalties. However, the president quickly went on to say that he did not want to impose new sanctions or tariffs aimed at hurting Russia’s economy, expressing hope that there is still a path toward brokering a deal to end the war.
In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” on August 17, following the Alaskan summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that new sanctions would effectively end peace talks. “At the end of the day, if peace is not going to be possible here, and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands, the President has that option to then come in and impose new sanctions. But if he did this now, the moment the President puts those additional sanctions, that’s the end of the talks,” Rubio said. “You’ve basically locked in at least another year to year and a half of war and death and destruction.”
(With CNN inputs)
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