President Trump escalated his rhetoric against Russia, warning of new sanctions in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite the tough stance, he admitted that the threat of financial attack may have little effect on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If a Ukraine deal is not in place], we’ll put sanctions on,” Trump stated, even though the deadline he had given Russia earlier in the week to engage in serious cease-fire talks hadn’t yet expired. “Russia? I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing,” he added, apparently referring to continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.
“He (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is pretty good with sanctions. He knows how to avoid sanctions,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax show “Finnerty” host Rob Finnerty at the White House on Friday.
Asked whether his opinion of Putin has changed over the past few months Trump said, “He’s obviously a tough cookie, so it hasn’t changed in that way.”
When asked about a potential conversation with Putin before the August 8 deadline on Ukraine, Trump did not provide reporters with a clear answer but indicated that some meetings were planned.
The remarks followed a revelation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Fox News Radio interview, where he disclosed that US officials held confidential discussions with top Russian leaders, though not with Putin himself, earlier in the week. According to Rubio, the talks failed to yield any progress toward a cease-fire.
Trump also announced that Steve Witkoff, his special envoy and longtime business associate in real estate, would return to Russia for further talks. However, a previous visit by Witkoff had yielded no results.
White House officials expressed little optimism that the latest diplomatic efforts would succeed. And even Trump, a longtime advocate of economic pressure as a tool of foreign policy, admitted once again that sanctions might not sway the Russian leader. “I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” Trump said.
The president’s comments mark a stark change in tone over the past six months. Since then, Trump’s approach appears to have shifted — though he has not openly admitted to changing course. His prior claims of a personal connection with Putin are no longer part of his messaging. Instead, he has shown growing frustration, especially as discussions about cease-fires are frequently followed by intensified Russian attacks.
“What I think frustrates the president the most is that he has these calls where everyone agrees they want peace or at least a path to it,” Rubio said during the radio interview. “Then he turns on the television and sees that another city has been hit — sometimes hundreds of miles from the front.”
In an earlier social media message, Trump said the Ukraine was “should have never happened.” Trump said his foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Russia in coming days, but additional details of his trip were not immediately available.
“This is Biden’s War, not “TRUMP’s.” I’m just here to see if I can stop it!” Trump wrote.
President Donald Trump issued a rare threat of nuclear escalation, saying he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be strategically positioned near Russia in response to what he said were aggressive remarks by Dmitry Medvedev, the country’s former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council.
“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Medvedev, who has been sparring with Trump online for the past several days, had made reference to Russia’s Soviet-era automatic, retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities, after Trump told Medvedev to “watch his words.”
