Asked at the White House on Thursday about Vladimir Putin’s response that the measures would not seriously harm Russia’s economy, Trump said: “I am glad he feels that way. I’ll let you know about it in six months from now. Let’s see how it all works out.”
The Russian president said Moscow would “never bow down” to U.S. pressure, calling the sanctions an “unfriendly act that does nothing to strengthen Russian-American relations” and a futile attempt to pressure Russia.
He added that no “self-respecting” country acts under pressure and said the measures would not significantly affect the economy.
He also warned of a “strong response” if Ukraine used U.S. Tomahawk missiles against Russia.
Trump announced the sanctions on Wednesday, targeting Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Global oil prices rose 5% after the move, according to Reuters.
It is the first time in his second term that Trump has imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia.
Trump had earlier sought to encourage Putin to halt the war through dialogue, and the two leaders were due to meet in Budapest. The United States later canceled the meeting.
“We cancelled the meeting with President Putin — it just didn’t feel right to me,” Trump said on Wednesday.
“It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So I cancelled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”
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Source: PAP, Kyiv Post