Trump Threatens New Sanctions On Russia As War Spreads Closer To Neighbors (Worthy News Radio)

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if relentless drone and missile strikes against Ukraine continue, as the war increasingly impacts neighboring countries, Hungary and Slovakia.

Trump expressed frustration that a week after his high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the conflict had only escalated.

Numerous people were killed and injured in the latest Russian attacks, including at an American-owned plant near Ukraine’s border with Hungary.

“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be, it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said Friday.

The president confirmed he was “unhappy” about the strike on the American facility, which sparked a fire and injured several employees.

He warned Moscow that severe sanctions could be imposed within two weeks if the attacks continue.

But while Washington blames Moscow, Ukraine’s neighbors, Hungary and Slovakia, voiced anger at Kyiv after it struck a key pumping station on the Druzhba pipeline.

SUPPLIES CUT

The attack temporarily cut Russian crude supplies to both countries, the only European Union members still receiving oil directly from Russia. Budapest and Bratislava warned the European Commission that deliveries could be halted for at least five days.

Hungary’s government insisted that disrupting energy supplies risked further destabilizing the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintains that Russia’s 2022 invasion triggered the war and that peace can only be reached through direct talks with Putin.

He has repeatedly called for a face-to-face summit, but Moscow’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told NBC News television there was no basis for such a meeting.

“Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said, accusing Kyiv of refusing to accept Russian demands to drop NATO ambitions and surrender occupied territories.

With clashes ongoing, humanitarian efforts are also under fire. The Scottish charity Sunflower Scotland, which delivers medical aid to Ukraine, reported that even ambulances have been targeted by Russian drones.

The group vowed to continue operations despite the dangers, underscoring the growing risks faced by civilians and aid workers in Europe’s deadliest war since World War II.

Latest Worthy News