Trump Threatens Heavier Sanctions For Russia

September 8, 2025

Donald Trump has said he's ready to take the next step in sanctioning Russia after its most intense aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began. Over 800 drones and 13 missiles were launched in a weekend attack that killed four people, including a mother and her baby, and hit Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv. “It’s such a horrible waste of humanity,” Trump said on Sunday, adding that he was “not happy with the whole situation” and is prepared to move to the “second phase” of sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that secondary sanctions targeting countries still buying Russian oil are on the table. “The Russian economy will be in total collapse, and that will bring President Putin to the table,” he said. While Washington has already slapped a 50% tariff on India, a major buyer of Russian oil, Trump has yet to act on similar threats toward other countries, including China. EU leaders are now in talks with US officials in Washington, aiming to sync up strategies and ramp up joint pressure on the Kremlin.

European leaders, including European Council head António Costa, stressed the urgency of aligning sanctions with the US. “We have to cooperate with and negotiate with the US to find a way to do more sanctions, stronger sanctions,” said Finland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo. However, divisions remain inside the EU, with Hungary and Slovakia still buying Russian fuel and resisting the bloc’s push to phase it out by 2028.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the idea of secondary tariffs, urging allies to stop “any kind of energy” trade with Moscow. He added: “We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them.” Despite Trump's previous efforts to open dialogue—hosting Putin and Zelenskyy separately this summer—there’s little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough. The Kremlin said on Monday that no sanctions would ever force a policy change.