US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that all options were on the table regarding sanctions on Russia for its continued war in Ukraine.
This comes two weeks after the Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which was touted as a step to end the war.
"He has, in a despicable manner, increased the bombing campaign. So, I think with President Trump, all options are on the table — and I think we'll be examining those very closely this week," Bessent told Fox News.
After the Alaska Summit, Trump set Russia a two-week deadline to make progress on a peace deal in Ukraine. That deadline ended on Monday with no end to the war in sight.
Putin, while speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China's Tianjin on Monday, defended his offensive against Kyiv and blamed the West for it.
Putin claimed that the crisis arose largely because of the “coup d’état in Kiev in 2014, which was provoked by the West", Russian news agency Tass reported.
"The second reason for the crisis is the West's constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO. As we have repeatedly emphasised, this poses a direct threat to Russia's security," he said.
Emmanuel Macron says Vladimir Putin missing deadline means he ‘played’ Donald Trump
{{/usCountry}}"The second reason for the crisis is the West's constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO. As we have repeatedly emphasised, this poses a direct threat to Russia's security," he said.
Emmanuel Macron says Vladimir Putin missing deadline means he ‘played’ Donald Trump
{{/usCountry}}French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier warned on Friday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to commit to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by Monday, it would signal that he has once again “played” Donald Trump.
Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron said, "If that doesn't happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump."
Ukrainian President Zelensky also weighed in on Friday, pointing to Trump's earlier remarks in which he gave Putin “a week or two” to respond to the proposed meeting.