PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Russia has dismissed the impact of potential sanctions from the Trump administration, insisting that they will not change Russia’s course of action in Ukraine.

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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED:  The United States, the Trump administration, Russia, Ukraine, and Russian spokesman Dmitry Petrov.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Peskov reacted to future tariff threats in Moscow on September 8.

💬KEY QUOTE:  “No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Peskov said.

🎯IMPACT: The comments come as President Donald  J. Trump continues trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia has dismissed the possibility that any level of Western sanctions will force it to alter its course in the war against Ukraine, following a renewed warning from U.S. President Donald Trump about a potential second wave of penalties.

“No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, disregarding Western outrage over a recent wave of deadly air strikes.

The remarks came just days after Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the war, firing at least 805 drones and 13 missiles at cities across Ukraine. The main government building in central Kiev was hit for the first time since the conflict began in 2022. Four people were reportedly killed in the strike, including a three-month-old baby.

Trump responded by warning that additional sanctions against Russia were on the table. Though he did not provide details on what the “second stage” of sanctions would include, he confirmed that discussions with European leaders are underway this week in Washington to coordinate further responses. Trump also indicated he plans to speak directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon.”

At the same time, Trump has taken the unprecedented step of endorsing Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory. In an August 21 post, the president said it was “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” comparing Ukraine’s situation to a sports team that is forced to play only defense. The comments mark a significant departure from past U.S. policy, which has previously been more cautious about Ukrainian military actions beyond its borders.

Trump’s sanctions approach has also expanded beyond Russia, targeting nations that continue to buy Russian oil. Earlier this year, the U.S. doubled tariffs on India for its continued energy trade with Moscow. The move increased tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent, with Trump accusing India of ignoring the human cost of the war in Ukraine. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine,” he said.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering similar economic penalties against other major buyers of Russian oil, including China, as part of a broader effort to choke off funding for the Kremlin’s war effort. Senior U.S. officials have hinted that secondary sanctions may be imposed on firms and countries that help Russia bypass restrictions on its energy exports.

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