US President Donald Trump issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war, when he was questioned on Wednesday.
“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other,” Trump said from the Oval office.
“Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy, and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen,” he added in a seemingly veiled threat.
When asked about the administration’s actions, or lack thereof, against Russia, Trump became noticeably angry.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, they’re almost equal. Would you say there was no action that cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia?” Trump remarked.
“You call that no action. And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three,” he said, hinting at further punitive steps.
He further added: “If you remember two weeks ago, I did, I said, if India buys, India’s got big problems, and that’s what happens. So don’t tell me about that.”
In its ongoing attempts to secure a peace deal, the Trump administration has so far shown little willingness to impose additional penalties on Russia, despite repeated threats.
Putin slams Trump over India tariffs, says ‘colonial era is now over’
Meanwhile, Putin warned Washington against attempting to use tariffs and penalties to intimidate China and India, saying, “You cannot talk to India or China in that way.”
After attending China’s WWII military parade and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Putin spoke to the media and charged that the Trump administration was using economic pressure to weaken two of Asia’s most powerful nations.
The Russian president referred to China and India as “partners,” claiming that the US tariff regime was an attempt to “weaken the leadership of these countries.”
“You have countries like India with 1.5 billion people, China, powerful economies, but they also have their own domestic political mechanisms and laws,” Putin said. “When somebody tells you they are going to punish you, you have to think — how can the leadership of those big countries react?”
He said that the political instincts of both the countries are greatly influenced by history. “They had difficult periods in their histories too, like colonialism, tax on their sovereignty during a prolonged period of time. If one of them shows weakness, his political career will be over. So that influences his behaviour.”
Putin further emphasised that Washington’s rhetoric reflects antiquated thinking. “The colonial era is now over. They have to realise they can’t use these terms in speaking with partners,” he said.
According to the Russian president, tensions will eventually subside. “Ultimately, things will be sorted out, everything will take its place, and we will see normal political dialogue again,” he stated.
Putin’s remarks coincide with China and Washington continuing their trade war, and India facing steep US tariffs for purchasing Russian oil.