'If Putin Doesn't Agree, There Will Be Very Severe Consequences': Trump Warns Russia Ahead of Alaska Summit

Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Moscow of “very severe” repercussions if it fails to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

Speaking at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that Russia would face consequences ranging from tariffs to sanctions if no progress was made after the meeting. When asked directly whether punitive measures would follow if Putin refused to halt hostilities, Trump replied, “Yes, they will,” adding, “I don’t have to say. There will be severe consequences.”

Trump Eyes Potential Trilateral Meeting

The U.S. president also indicated he would push for a follow-up meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if initial talks with Putin proved constructive. “If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one … between President Putin, and President Zelensky and myself, if they’d like me there,” he said. 

However, he cautioned that such a meeting would not happen unless he received “the answers [he] wants” from the Alaska summit.

Trump’s comments came after a hastily arranged virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders.

Trump Met Virtually with Zelenskyy, European leaders

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders that securing a ceasefire in Ukraine would be his key objective during Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. He assured them that no territorial concessions would be made without Kyiv’s direct participation.

The discussion took place in an urgent one-hour virtual meeting attended by Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European heads of state. The gathering was convened to influence Trump’s approach to the high-stakes Alaska talks. 

Both Kyiv and European have been excluded from the summit itself, raising fears that Trump, eager to fulfil his campaign pledge of swiftly ending the conflict, could strike an agreement that undermines Ukraine’s long-term sovereignty.

Trump emphasised that the upcoming summit should not be viewed as a venue for final negotiations. Instead, he described it as a preliminary “feel-out” session aimed at gauging Putin’s willingness to agree to a temporary ceasefire, which could then serve as a basis for broader discussions involving Ukraine.

European leaders have repeatedly insisted on Ukraine’s presence in any substantive peace talks, warning that excluding Kyiv risks tilting the process in Moscow’s favour.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after the meeting that “important decisions” could emerge from Alaska, but stressed that “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected.” He reiterated that a ceasefire must come at the very outset of negotiations, noting that Trump “also wants to make this one of his priorities” during his talks with Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking separately in Paris, said Trump was “very clear” about the U.S. intention to achieve a ceasefire at the summit. Macron added that if the initial meeting proved productive, Trump planned to push for a follow-up trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy. The French leader expressed hope that such a gathering could be hosted in a neutral European nation acceptable to all parties.

What’s at Stake for Europe?

Trump has caused unease among European allies by suggesting that Ukraine might have to relinquish certain Russian-occupied territories as part of a settlement. He has also floated the idea of land swaps, though it remains uncertain what territory Putin would be willing to cede in return.

Both Ukraine and its European supporters fear that, in the absence of their participation, the Alaska talks could lead to terms heavily skewed in Moscow’s favour. Putin, who has launched the largest land conflict in Europe since the Second World War and leveraged Russia’s energy dominance to pressure the European Union, could emerge from such an arrangement with significant strategic gains.

The broader concern is that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden the Kremlin to target other European nations. For many in Europe, the Alaska summit is not merely about Ukraine’s future, but about the stability and security architecture of the entire continent.

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