STORY: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (August 26) he is prepared to impose economic sanctions against Russia if Vladimir Putin fails to agree to a ceasefire, warning of serious consequences.

"We want to have an end. We have economic sanctions. I'm talking about economic because we're not going to get into a world war," Trump said.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that Russia launched in 2022. Analysts estimate that more than a million soldiers on both sides have been killed or wounded and fighting is continuing unabated, with both sides also attacking energy facilities.

Russia has maintained its longstanding demand for Ukraine to give up land it still holds in two eastern regions while proposing to freeze the front line in two more southerly regions Moscow claims fully as its own and possibly hand back small pieces of other Ukrainian territory it controls.

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VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SPEAKING ABOUT POTENTIAL ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA.

RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT

SHOWS: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 26, 2025)(UNRESTRICTED POOL - Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE)(English) REPORTER SAYING [CAMERA ON TRUMP]:

"On the way to Alaska, you had mentioned that there would be severe consequences if Vladimir Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. After that summit that was rolled back given the negotiations, is he back on the clock?"

2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

"I want to see that deal end. It's very, very serious what I have in mind if I have to do it, but I want to see it end. I think that in many ways he's there. Sometimes he'll be there and Zelenskiy won't be there. You know, It's like, who do we have today? I got to get them both at the same time, but I want to have it end. And we have economic sanctions. I'm talking about economic because we're not going to get into a world war."

3. WHITE FLASH

4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

"No, I'd like it to stop. I want to get it to stop. And it will not be a world war, but it will be an economic war. And an economic war is going to be bad and it's going to be bad for Russia. And I don't want that. Now, I have to also see, because not everybody, you know, Zelenskiy's is not exactly innocent either. Okay? You know, it takes two people to tango. And I say it all the time. You got to get them together. I get along with Zelenskiy now, but we have a much different relationship because now we're not paying any money to Ukraine. You know, I stopped that. We're paying money to ourselves. What's happening now is NATO is buying all of the equipment and paying in full. But even with that, forget about that. I want to get it stopped because it's a lot of lives that are being lost."

5. WHITE FLASH

6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

"Thousands of young people, mostly young people, are dying every single week. If I can save that by doing sanctions or by just being me or by using a very strong tariff system that's very costly to Russia or Ukraine or whoever we have, you know. But I stopped seven wars and three of those wars were going on for more than 30 years."

7. WHITE FLASH

8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

"But I still, the one that I thought would be the easiest is turning out to be the hardest, that's President Putin and President Zelensky. But I think I'll get it done."

9. (SOUNDBITE)(English) REPORTER SAYING:

"I have a question for Steve Witkoff if I may. Just this past weekend, Sergei Lavrov was saying that

Putin will not sign a peace deal with Zelenskiy because Russia views him as illegitimate. Just wondering if the Russians have been relaying this to your team, if they view Zelenskiy as a leader worth signing a peace deal with..."

10. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING:

"It doesn't matter what they say. Steve can answer it, but I can answer it. It doesn't matter what they say. Everybody's posturing. It's all bullshit, okay? Everybody's posturing. Steve, do you have a different answer?"

11. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF SAYING [CAMERA ON TRUMP]:

"I agree with you, sir." [EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM LAUGHS]