US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow of “very severe” consequences if it does not agree to halt the ongoing war in Ukraine. The remarks came on Wednesday at the Kennedy Centre, just two days before his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

When asked by a reporter whether Russia would face consequences if Putin refused to stop the war, Trump replied, “Yes, they will,” adding that measures could include tariffs and sanctions. “I don’t have to say [exactly what]. There will be severe consequences,” he said.

Meeting with Putin and Possible Talks with Zelensky

The high-stakes meeting between Trump and Putin is set for Friday, August 15, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska—a Cold War-era military hub. Trump indicated he hopes the first meeting will pave the way for a follow-up session that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one… between President Putin, President Zelensky, and myself—if they’d like me there,” Trump told reporters. However, he warned that such a meeting would not happen if he did not receive “the answers I want” from Putin.

Backdrop of Rising Tensions

The warning comes amid a fresh escalation in the conflict. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, Putin is “bluffing” ahead of the talks while applying pressure “on all sectors of the Ukrainian front” to project the image that Russia can occupy all of Ukraine.

Trump’s stance was reinforced during a virtual meeting with European leaders earlier this week, where French President Emmanuel Macron said the US president appeared to be prioritising a ceasefire in his diplomatic approach.

The upcoming Alaska meeting will be the first in-person engagement between Trump and Putin since tensions over Ukraine intensified earlier this year.

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