U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of additional sanctions against Russia. It is interpreted as being influenced by President Vladimir Putin's passive stance in peace negotiations with Ukraine and his recent display of anti-U.S. and anti-Western solidarity with China.
According to Yonhap News Agency, President Trump said "yes" when asked by reporters at the White House before departing for New York, United States, on the 7th (local time) to watch the men's final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, if he was ready to implement the second phase of sanctions against Russia.
President Trump has already implemented the first phase of secondary sanctions since the end of last month by imposing a total tariff of 50% on India, which is already purchasing Russian oil in large quantities, by adding an additional 25% to the existing 25% reciprocal tariff.
After meeting with President Putin in Alaska last month, President Trump pushed for a Russia-Ukraine summit for peace negotiations. However, negotiations are increasingly drifting apart as Russia has launched large-scale airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
President Putin also recently attended a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II held in Beijing, China, where he solidified anti-U.S. solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un. President Trump assessed this as "an anti-U.S. conspiracy" through social media.
When President Trump was asked if plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, Illinois, to support law enforcement in cracking down on illegal immigrants and criminals were a threat of war, he replied, "I am not trying to start a war. I'm trying to clean up our cities."