Trump Warns Russia of ‘Severe Consequences’ Ahead of Alaska Meeting with Putin

US President Donald Trump has warned Russia of “very severe” consequences if it does not end the ongoing war in Ukraine, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

Responding to a reporter’s question at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday about possible repercussions if Putin refuses to halt the war, Trump said simply, “Yes, they will,” noting that potential measures could range from tariffs to sanctions. “I don’t have to say. There will be severe consequences,” he added.

Trump also revealed plans to propose a second meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, depending on the outcome of Friday’s talks. “If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one… with President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they’d like me there,” he said, but warned this would not happen unless he received the “answers” he was seeking.

The remarks follow a virtual meeting with European leaders, during which French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was prioritising a ceasefire. Zelensky, however, told participants that Putin “is bluffing” and “trying to apply pressure on all sectors of the Ukrainian front” to create the impression Russia can “occupy all of Ukraine.”

According to an AP report, the Trump–Putin talks will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, a Cold War-era military facility of strategic significance.