Russia Issues Stern Response to Trump's Sanctions Threat

The Kremlin said that sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia have “no effect” when responding to President Donald Trump’s threat that he is ready to impose additional measures on Moscow in light of recent strikes against Ukraine. “Sanctions are the agenda supported by the Kyiv regime and European countries. They are doing everything to bring Washington into their orbit and impose these sanctions,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev on Monday morning, during an interview shared via Telegram. Further reacting to the remarks made by Trump outside the White House on Sunday, Peskov added: “It would be preferable for us to achieve our goals and ensure our security by political and diplomatic methods, but at the time when this is impossible due to the lack of reciprocity, we continue the SVO [Special Military Operation].” Read More: Zelensky Hails ‘America’s Readiness to Provide Support to Ukraine’ as World Leaders Map Out Security Guarantees The renewed talk of sanctions comes after Russia launched its largest air attack against Ukraine since its invasion of the country in 2022. Over 800 drones and 13 missiles were reportedly launched, killing at least four people and injuring more than 44 others. The strikes hit a number of residential buildings in Kyiv, as well as the government headquarters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that “Russia appears to be escalating,” in response to the latest strikes. “The attack was not a signal that Russia wants to diplomatically end this war,” concluded Kellogg, adding that Trump is “working to stop this war.” “Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war. It has been repeatedly said in Washington that sanctions will follow a refusal to talk,” argued Zelensky. The weekend strikes came after Zelensky joined representatives from more than 30 countries at the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump, one of the key figures who dialled into the call, emphasized to the Coalition that the E.U. should stop purchasing Russian oil, citing concern it is funding the war, according to a White House official. The President also stated that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts. Read More: Trump Says No Deal Reached With Putin as Alaska Summit Ends Earlier Than Expected During the meeting, 26 leaders committed to contributing soldiers to serve as a “reassurance force” in Ukraine, should the conflict with Russia reach an end, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the meeting’s co-chairs. Trump has previously confirmed that U.S. troops will not be deployed on-the-ground in Ukraine should a cease-fire come into effect, but he has offered to provide assistance from the air. When asked what assurances there were that no U.S. personnel would be deployed on the ground, Trump told Fox News on Aug. 19: “You have my assurance, and I’m President,” before going on to praise the potential assistance the U.S. could provide from the air “because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.” After the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, Zelensky gave “special thanks” to Trump, publicly praising “his efforts to end this war and for America’s readiness to provide support to Ukraine on its part.” Trump’s most recent threat to further sanction Russia comes after a largely unsuccessful summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August. The two world leaders met in Alaska to discuss a possible path toward peace, but the meeting ended earlier than expected, with no deal being reached. Some critics argued that Putin achieved more wins than Trump as a result of the meeting.