U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Sept. 7 that he is ready to begin a new phase of sanctions against Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.
Trump's comments come a day after Russia launched a record-breaking drone and missile attack against Ukraine overnight — the latest in a series of mass strikes amid Washington's push to broker a peace deal.
During a White House briefing on Sept. 7, a reporter asked Trump if he was ready to move into the "second phase" of sanctions against Russia.
"Yeah, I am," Trump said. He did not provide details on what this next phase would entail or lay out a timeline for U.S. action.
On the same day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. was ready to partner with European allies to "increase pressure on Russia," primarily through expanding secondary tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil.
Bessent told NBC News that the move could weaken Moscow's already lagging economy and force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
While Trump has threatened to impose tough penalties on Russia on several occasions, his administration has not enacted any new sanctions against Moscow since Trump took office in January. In some cases, the Trump administration has even eased restrictions that were previously in place.
The White House has also threatened to impose widespread secondary tariffs on Russian oil importers, but has only taken this step once: In August, Trump imposed steep secondary tariffs on India, one of the major buyers of Russian oil since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Indian officials have said the U.S. tariffs will not stop the country's imports of Russian oil.
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