US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Urges Stronger Sanctions on Russia to Push Putin Toward Ukraine Peace Talks

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on Sunday for the Trump administration and Europe to intensify economic pressure on Russia, suggesting such measures could push President Vladimir Putin toward peace talks with Ukraine. Bessent, who recently labeled India and China as “bad actors” for continuing to purchase Russian oil and thereby supporting its war efforts, urged the imposition of more sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries trading with Moscow. He emphasized that if the US and European Union acted together with harsher economic sanctions, the Russian economy would collapse, forcing Putin to negotiate.

Bessent stated the Trump administration is ready to ramp up pressure on Russia. Currently, India faces a 50% tariff by the US for buying Russian crude, while China is hit by an even steeper 145% tariff, which has been temporarily paused for 90 days. However, India has criticized the West for hypocrisy, pointing out that several European countries also import large quantities of Russian energy without facing similar tariffs. Bessent appealed for coordinated action with European partners, stressing the urgency to weaken Russia economically before Ukraine’s military resources run out.

This call for greater sanctions comes amid mounting frustration in the Trump administration over its failure to end the conflict in Ukraine, a war now entering its fourth year and the deadliest in Europe since 1945. Bessent’s comments followed the recent Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, which ended without any agreement to halt or pause the war. Trump described the dialogue as “productive” but acknowledged that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”.

India, responding to the summit, reiterated its consistent call for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the leadership of Trump and Putin as “highly commendable” in their pursuit of peace and affirmed India’s support for all diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war.