Putin’s ‘despicable’ bombings keep U.S. sanctions on the table, Bessent claims

Asked about the possibility of Washington imposing new sanctions on Russia in an interview with Fox News, Bessent said, “All options are on the table.”

He noted that after his meeting with President Donald Trump in Alaska on Aug. 15 and a phone call on Aug. 18, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had “done the opposite” of his stated desire for peace.

“…, the following Monday, [Putin] has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated he wanted to do,” said Bessent.

“As a matter of fact, he has, in a despicable way, 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.”

Trump and Putin held their first meeting since 2018 on Aug. 15 in Anchorage, Alaska. On Aug. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders visited the White House, where officials agreed to work on security guarantees for Ukraine.

In the early hours of Aug. 28, Kyiv endured one of the largest Russian air strikes of the war. Twenty-three people, including four children, were killed and 53 wounded.