President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was prepared to impose a new round of sanctions on Russia after Moscow carried out what U.S. and Ukrainian officials described as its largest air strike since the war began, an assault that killed at least four people and injured dozens.
Asked by reporters whether he was ready to move to a “second stage” of sanctions against Russia, Trump replied, "yes," speaking on the White House lawn before departing for the U.S. Open in New York City. He did not specify what measures he envisioned as the “second stage.”
Ukrainian officials said the overnight assault involved at least 810 drones and decoys and struck multiple targets across the country, including the central government building in Kyiv for the first time. The attack set a Ukrainian government structure ablaze and, according to emergency services, caused at least four fatalities and 44 injuries.
Trump, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month in Alaska, had previously threatened a suite of fresh sanctions and tariffs that would target countries importing Russian oil. Administration officials said such measures are intended to damage a critical source of revenue that Moscow has relied on to blunt the economic impact of Western sanctions tied to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
After the Alaska summit, Trump expressed optimism about prospects for brokering a peace agreement, but the recent strikes underscore that the fighting has continued. The White House did not immediately provide additional details on the new sanctions or a timetable for their implementation.
The scale and intensity of the latest assault mark an escalation in Moscow's campaign, prompting concern among U.S. and European officials about civilian casualties and the targeting of government infrastructure. U.S. policy makers have repeatedly used sanctions to try to constrain Russia's ability to finance and sustain military operations in Ukraine, and any intensification of penalties would follow that longstanding strategy.
Trump's comments come as Republican and Democratic lawmakers and international partners consider how to respond to renewed Russian attacks and whether additional punitive steps, including measures aimed at third countries that purchase Russian energy, could further limit Moscow's financial resources. The president provided no timeline for new action, and administration officials had not outlined which nations or sectors might be targeted under a so-called second stage.
The White House and U.S. national security officials have regularly weighed a mix of diplomatic, economic and military support to help Ukraine, and any forthcoming sanctions package would be evaluated for its potential impact on global energy markets and allied coordination. The administration's public remarks on Sunday signaled a willingness to escalate economic pressure, but left open the question of how broadly any new measures would be applied.
The situation remains fluid, and officials said they would release more information as it becomes available.