United States President Donald Trump bristled connected Wednesday erstwhile a Polish newsman suggested that helium hadn’t done capable to unit Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine, astatine a clip erstwhile Europe and Ukraine are trying to person Trump to enforce sanctions oregon different punitive measures against Russia, arsenic Moscow continues its battle connected Ukraine.
He past pushed backmost astatine the reporter, listing measures he’d taken against Russian and threatening consequences if Moscow did not hold to peace.
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The enactment came conscionable a time earlier Trump spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aft helium met with European leaders connected Thursday successful a abstracted European acme successful Paris to sermon information reassurances for Ukraine successful the lawsuit of a bid deal. The details of Trump and Zelenskyy’s gathering person not been made nationalist yet.
Here is what we cognize astir the enactment Trump has taken truthful acold during his 2nd US presidency to extremity this war.
Didn’t Trump committedness to extremity the Russia-Ukraine warfare successful conscionable a day?
Yes. Indeed, the president has been keen to resoluteness respective planetary conflicts, and has insisted that helium is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
But, contempt promising repeatedly during his predetermination run past twelvemonth that helium would extremity the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of resuming the US presidency, the warfare rages on.
Following respective Trump-led meetings and calls with Putin and Zelenskyy, the 2 sides are inactive acold isolated from a truce arsenic respective disagreements stay implicit territory concessions.
Trump has pushed for a gathering betwixt Putin and Zelenskyy, but that has not happened, with Ukraine accusing Russia of avoiding a two-way gathering successful bid to prolong the conflict.
At the extremity of his sojourn to China connected Wednesday this week, however, Putin stated that portion helium was not against specified a meeting, determination mightiness not beryllium immoderate constituent to it. He suggested that Zelenskyy sojourn him successful Moscow, a connection that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has firmly rejected.
What did Trump accidental astir Putin this week?
President Trump made the comments astir Putin pursuing a gathering with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was successful the US to question much American unit beingness successful his country, which borders Ukraine, successful lawsuit of a Russian incursion into its ain territory.
Trump recounted his efforts to extremity the Ukraine warfare astatine the property league that followed the meeting. However, the US president visibly bristled erstwhile a newsman suggested that helium had not done capable to unit Russia’s Putin to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine.
He pushed backmost astatine the suggestion, saying helium had done respective things. Trump added that helium would proceed to unit Putin into making a decision, and that determination would beryllium consequences if Moscow failed to toed the line.
“Whatever his determination is, we’ll either beryllium blessed astir it oregon unhappy,” Trump said, referring to Putin. “And if we’re unhappy astir it, you’ll spot things happen,” helium said, without gving details of imaginable consequences.
Trump besides repeated his past claims of having ended 7 wars – including betwixt Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Pakistan and India; Thailand and Cambodia; and Israel and Iran. He added that he’d initially believed pressuring Putin into ending the Ukraine warfare would beryllium easier due to the fact that of the lukewarm relations some men enjoyed successful the past.
“But you ne'er cognize with warfare … I person nary connection to President Putin. He knows wherever I stand, and he’ll marque a determination 1 mode oregon the other,” Trump said erstwhile asked if helium had immoderate messages to walk connected to the Russian leader.
What steps has Trump taken to unit Russia?
Tariffs against India
At the property briefing connected Wednesday, Trump cited the precocious commercialized tariffs helium has levied connected India for buying Russian lipid arsenic 1 mode helium has pressured Putin. The US initially slapped a 25 percent levy connected India, the world’s fifth-largest system and a adjacent Russian ally, successful July, arsenic portion of Trump’s ongoing tariff wars. That complaint was past doubled arsenic punishment for trading with Russia.

The 50 percent tariffs, which took effect connected August 27, person hit India hard. Experts accidental they volition greatly trim Indian exports to the US, its biggest trading partner, and perchance impact thousands of jobs. The outgo to India’s system could tally to billions of dollars. India’s main exports to the US see pharmaceuticals, gemstones, carpets, apparel and jewellery. US levies connected India are among the highest Trump has imposed.
India has not retaliated to Trump’s move. However, New Delhi has signalled its ire to Washington by deepening ties with Russia and China, some US adversaries. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China this week for a information forum. He besides shared a limousine thrust with Russia’s Putin successful China.
However, connected Wednesday of this week, Trump told a vigor amusement that helium was not disquieted astir a Russia-China axis against the US. He did explicit disappointment successful Putin, however, adding that the US wanted to “help radical live” successful Ukraine.
Secondary sanctions connected Russia’s allies
Trump has suggested that much “secondary sanctions” – specified arsenic the higher tariffs imposed connected India – are successful the works for different Russian allies arsenic well.
“You’re going to spot a batch more. So this is simply a taste,” Trump said successful the Oval Office connected August 8, aft the archetypal tariffs were placed connected India. However, the White House has provided nary further details.
Experts accidental China could beryllium targeted next. The US and China person already engaged successful 1 aggravated commercialized warfare this year, with some levying more-than-100-percent tariffs connected each different astatine 1 point. Following talks, the US is presently levying an mean of 57.6 percent import levies connected each Chinese goods, portion China has imposed an mean of 32.6 percent tariff connected US imports.

Additional sanctions connected Russia
Trump has besides threatened to heap more sanctions connected Russia if Putin fails to hold to bid with Ukraine. He renewed that menace connected August 22, a week aft hosting Putin astatine talks successful Alaska.
“I’m going to marque a determination arsenic to what we do, and it’s going to be, it’s going to beryllium a precise important decision, and that’s whether oregon not it’s monolithic sanctions oregon monolithic tariffs oregon both, oregon we bash thing and accidental ‘It’s your fight’,” Trump told reporters.
Since Trump took bureau this year, the US has not imposed much sanctions connected Russia. There were extended US sanctions successful spot connected Russia already, however.
Some question and concern transaction bans connected circumstantial individuals, officials and entities spell arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2014, erstwhile Russia annexed the Ukrainian portion of Crimea. Russia’s quality services, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and the Federal Security Service (FSB), arsenic good arsenic 4 unnamed individuals and 3 companies, were each sanctioned for their engagement successful Russia’s interference successful the 2016 US elections earlier President Barack Obama near office. Two “Russian compounds” successful New York and Maryland, wherever immoderate of the interference enactment was done, were besides unopen down.
In 2018, during Trump’s archetypal term, the US sanctioned Russian hackers, officials and related organisations which were recovered to person been progressive successful the 2016 predetermination interference and for different “malign” actions. High-profile names – specified arsenic Putin’s erstwhile son-in-law, Kirill Shamalov and a Russian authorities weapons institution – were named.
In August 2019, Trump approved further sanctions forbidding the granting of loans to Russian entities oregon different assistance from Western monetary bodies similar the World Bank. Licensing restrictions were besides introduced for chemic oregon biologic weapons exported to Russia for fears of proliferation.
Following Moscow’s 2022 penetration of Ukraine, the medication of erstwhile US President Joe Biden expanded sanctions to see bans connected Russian lipid sales, transactions with Russian banks and the confiscation of Russian-owned spot overseas. Export controls were further imposed connected US-made high-tech worldly being exported to Russia to trim Moscow’s entree to Western technology.
Weapons income to NATO
In July, Trump struck a woody with European NATO countries to merchantability much US weapons, specified arsenic Patriot rocket aerial defence systems, for Ukraine’s use. Trump said the weapons would beryllium rapidly sent to the beforehand lines of the warfare and that Ukraine’s European allies would wage for them.
On August 28, the US State Department confirmed that the US is acceptable to nonstop weapons worthy $825m to Ukraine arsenic portion of that deal. Ukraine, the connection read, had requested 3,500 extended-range cruise missiles and 3,350 GPS navigation systems, and those would beryllium delivered, successful summation to different instrumentality specified arsenic batteries and grooming software.
“This projected merchantability volition amended Ukraine’s capableness to conscionable existent and aboriginal threats by further equipping it to behaviour self-defense and determination information missions. Ukraine volition person nary trouble absorbing these articles and services into its equipped forces,” the US connection read.
The sale, which was paid for by Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, arsenic good arsenic successful portion by the US, was pending support from Congress, the connection added.
What happens next?
On Thursday, Zelenskyy spoke with Trump by telephone pursuing his gathering with European leaders successful Paris.
The Paris acme aimed to stitchery statement astir information guarantees for Ukraine erstwhile a bid woody is reached. The alleged conjugation of the consenting discussed measures similar deploying a bid unit to Ukraine, but nary factual announcements were made aft the meeting. US envoy Steve Witkoff was besides contiguous successful Paris and met with Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian person earlier said helium would propulsion Trump for much sanctions connected Russia. He besides said determination were “signals” that the US would enactment arsenic a “backstop”, suggesting that the US whitethorn beryllium consenting to supply immoderate signifier of protective enactment for Ukraine successful the future. Zelenskyy made those comments earlier this week astatine a property briefing successful Copenhagen wherever European ministers met to sermon security.
Reporting from the White House successful Washington, DC, connected Wednesday, Al Jazeera analogous Alan Fisher said determination was nary confirmation of the series of events yet, but that it is apt that pursuing Zelensky’s chat with Trump, the US president volition past person a telephone with Putin to further propulsion for a factual bid package.