‘Very Severe Consequences’: Trump’s Warning To Russia If Putin Refuses Ukraine Ceasefire In Alaska Summit

<p>United States President Donald Trump has cautioned Russia of &ldquo;very severe&rdquo; consequences if it refuses to end the ongoing war in Ukraine. Responding to a question at the Kennedy Centre on Wednesday, Trump was asked if Russia would face repercussions should President Vladimir Putin decline to halt the conflict following their upcoming talks.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Yes. There will be consequences. I don&rsquo;t have to say (on the type of consequences). There will be very severe consequences,&rdquo; he stated. When pressed further, the US president added, &ldquo;Yes, they will,&rdquo; noting that potential measures could range from tariffs to sanctions.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>”Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday?”<a href=”https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@POTUS</a>: “Yes, they will.” <a href=”https://t.co/lLfbR0iHxj”>pic.twitter.com/lLfbR0iHxj</a></p>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href=”https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1955666529586188624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>When asked if he believes he can convince Putin to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine when he meets him in Alaska, Trump remarked, &ldquo;…I guess the answer to that is ‘No’ because I have had this conversation. I want to end the war. It’s Biden’s war, but I want to end it. I’d be very proud to end this war along with the five other wars I ended. But I guess the answer to that is probably ‘No&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WATCH</a> | US President Donald Trump says, “…I guess the answer to that is ‘No’ because I have had this conversation. I want to end the war. It’s Biden’s war but I want to end it. I’d be very proud to end this war along with the five other wars I ended. But I guess the answer to&hellip; <a href=”https://t.co/0FnaHquo9y”>pic.twitter.com/0FnaHquo9y</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href=”https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1955674241455567341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<h3><strong>Possible Three-Way Meeting with Zelenskyy</strong></h3>
<p>Trump revealed that if his initial discussion with Putin &ldquo;goes okay,&rdquo; he intends to quickly convene a second meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If the first one goes okay, we&rsquo;ll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we&rsquo;ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin, and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they&rsquo;d like to have me there,&rdquo; he told reporters. However, he clarified that this follow-up will not happen &ldquo;if I do not hear the answers I want.&rdquo;</p>
<p>According to an Associated Press (AP) report, French President Emmanuel Macron, after a virtual meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy, and other European leaders, said Trump had been &ldquo;very clear&rdquo; about the United States&rsquo; aim to secure a ceasefire at the Alaska summit. Trump also indicated that any major agreement might involve land swaps, adding, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a very good chance that we&rsquo;re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first&hellip; it&rsquo;s setting the table for the second meeting.&rdquo;</p>
<h3><strong>Alaska Base Chosen for High-Stakes Talks</strong></h3>
<p>The first meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, AP reported citing a White House official. The venue, created by merging Elmendorf Air Force Base and Army Fort Richardson in 2010, played a pivotal role in monitoring Soviet activity during the Cold War.</p>
<p>While some military systems have since been decommissioned, the base still houses F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and intercepts Russian aircraft entering US airspace. The Cold War-era motto of the base &mdash; &ldquo;Top Cover for North America&rdquo; &mdash; remains a reminder of its strategic significance.</p>