"Yes, I am," Trump told reporters outside the White House when asked if he was prepared to impose more sanctions on Russia. He did not provide further details.

Russia attacked Ukraine with more than 800 drones on Sunday night, the highest number since the start of its invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian air force said. Most of them were shot down, but 54 drones and nine missiles hit 33 locations. The attacks killed four people and damaged the government building in Kiev. European leaders strongly condemned the airstrikes, and EU officials promised to strengthen anti-Russian sanctions.

"If the US and (the European Union) manage to impose further sanctions, secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will completely collapse and that will bring President Putin to the negotiating table," Bessent said on NBC television.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is ready to increase pressure on Russia, according to the minister."We need our European partners to follow us, because if the US and the EU do this together, it will be decided whether the Ukrainian army or the Russian economy will last longer," he added.

Trump is frustrated by his inability to stop the war in Ukraine, which he claimed he could end quickly when he took office in January. The White House chief has not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia or China, the leading buyer of Russian oil. However, he has increased tariffs on imports from India to the US, another major buyer of Russian energy resources.

The first major talks between Trump and Putin took place on August 15, 2025, in Alaska. Although the US president spoke of a"productive" meeting, the summit failed to produce any agreement. Putin demanded control of Donbas in exchange for a ceasefire, which Kiev immediately rejected.

The summit was followed by a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the meeting as one-sided, as Ukraine was not directly involved in the negotiations. Trump subsequently proposed a trilateral meeting between the US, Russia and Ukraine, but the date and format have not yet been agreed.

Critics say the summit gave Putin diplomatic legitimacy without any real concessions from Moscow, leaving Russia's demands for territorial changes and Ukraine's desire to preserve its territorial integrity as incompatible.