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London, Sept 4: US President Donald Trump has once again warned Russia to end the Ukraine war, saying tougher steps will follow if Moscow refuses. This is not new, as he has repeatedly issued similar warnings in the past.

“I have no message for President Putin (Vladimir). He knows where I stand, and he will decide one way or another,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office when asked about his message to Putin. “Whatever decision he makes, we will either be happy or unhappy. If unhappy, you will see a lot of things happen.” He also referred to tariffs imposed on India as part of his actions against Russia. “Is imposing a second sanction on India, the biggest buyer outside China, not an action? Wasn’t spending hundreds of billions of dollars on Russia also an action? I haven’t yet reached a second or third stage,” he added.

Despite repeated threats, CNN reported that Trump’s administration has hesitated to impose further sanctions on Moscow while continuing its push for a peace deal. Trump also said he would speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming days.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have stalled, and there is no sign of a Putin–Zelensky meeting proposed by the White House. Earlier this week, Putin held a meeting in Moscow, which Kyiv dismissed as lacking any serious proposal. Last month, Trump hosted Putin in Alaska for discussions on ending the war, then met European leaders and Zelensky at the White House. But progress has since slowed, with little to no breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Putin was warmly received on the global stage this week. His show of power in China drew Trump’s attention, who commented on social media that President Xi’s greeting of Putin and Kim Jong Un looked like a “conspiracy” against the US.

Speaking after a large military parade in China, Putin declared Russia would fight until it achieved all its objectives if Ukraine refused to agree to a settlement. He repeated that talks with Zelensky held little meaning. “I have never rejected the possibility of such a meeting. But is there any sense in it? Let’s see,” he said.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Asked by a Russian state TV journalist in Beijing whether the war might end soon, Putin replied, “There is a certain light at the end of the tunnel. If common sense prevails, an acceptable solution can be reached to end this conflict. Otherwise, we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily.”

He reiterated that Russia would not give up the Donbas region, already under its control, and again demanded Ukraine stay out of NATO and stop discrimination against ethnic Russians. Putin added that any future peace deal would not involve Western security guarantees for the Donbas territories.

Rejecting calls for a ceasefire, Putin has instead intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities. On Wednesday night alone, Russia launched more than 500 drones and 24 cruise missiles, according to reports.

People’s News Monitoring Service