US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a sharp warning when asked about his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.
His comments, made from the Oval Office, hinted at consequences if Moscow takes actions Washington finds unacceptable.
“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other,” Trump said firmly.
He added, “Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy, and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
The remark appeared to serve as a veiled threat, signaling that the White House is prepared to escalate its response if Russia intensifies its offensive.
Trump became visibly irritated when pressed about what concrete actions his administration had taken against Russia.
Critics have often accused his government of being reluctant to impose tougher penalties on Moscow.
However, Trump quickly pushed back on the suggestion of inaction.
“How do you know there’s no action?” he asked reporters.
“Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China… would you say there was no action that cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia?”
The president insisted that significant steps had already been taken, referencing measures targeting countries buying Russian energy.
“You call that no action,” he said, before adding, “And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three.”
Trump pointed to past warnings aimed at India, one of Russia’s biggest energy buyers.
“If you remember two weeks ago, I did, I said, if India buys, India’s got big problems, and that’s what happens. So don’t tell me about that,” he said.
His comments indicate that additional sanctions could be rolled out, though the administration continues to walk a careful line between punishment and keeping channels for negotiation open.
Despite repeated threats, the Trump administration has so far been reluctant to implement sweeping new sanctions on Moscow.
The stated reason has been a desire to maintain diplomatic space for peace talks, even as the war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending.
