Trump Warns Patience With Putin Over Ukraine Talks Is ‘Running Out Fast’

US president threatens tough new sanctions as Kremlin pauses negotiations and NATO braces after Russian drones enter Poland

Sat Sep 13 2025
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WASHINGTON, DC: US President Donald Trump has warned that his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin over stalled Ukraine conflict negotiations is “running out fast,” threatening to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow as tensions spill over into NATO territory.

In an interview with Fox & Friends on Friday, Trump said he initially thought ending the Russia-Ukraine war would be the “easiest” international conflict to resolve.

“But it does take two to tango,” Trump said after host Brian Kilmeade pointed out that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to meet with Putin a number of times. “It’s amazing when Putin wants to do it, Zelenskyy didn’t. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to and Putin is the question mark.”

Trump noted that while Putin recently invited Zelenskyy to Moscow, Western and Ukrainian officials dismissed it as a dangerous ploy rather than a genuine peace gesture.

 

Sanctions threat amid criticism

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“We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump said in reference to Russia. “Hitting very hard with sanctions, to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs.

“But I’ve already done it. I’ve done a lot,” he said, pointing to the 50% tariffs he put on India and has threatened to put on China – both of which are Russia’s largest importers of oil.

“That’s not an easy thing to do. That’s a big deal. And it causes a rift with India,” he added.

Despite those remarks, critics note that Trump has yet to impose any new direct sanctions on Russia since returning to the White House eight months ago, even as European allies have tightened restrictions.

 

Rising tensions in Poland and Belarus

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The Kremlin announced on Friday that peace talks with Ukraine were “on pause,” with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters: “Communication channels exist, they are established, our negotiators have the opportunity to communicate through these channels, but for now, perhaps, we can talk about a pause.”

The statement came just days after nearly two dozen Russian drones entered Poland, prompting a NATO response. Trump suggested the incident “could have been a mistake,” but Warsaw rejected that view.

“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.”

On the same day, Russia began large-scale military exercises in Belarus, from where some of the drones had originated earlier in the week. The war games further rattled NATO members already on high alert over Moscow’s military posture along its western flank.

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