Trump Warns Moscow of New Sanctions After Russia’s Biggest Aerial Strike on Ukraine

Kyiv woke up to flames and shattered glass on Sunday after Russia launched its largest aerial assault since the war began. The unprecedented barrage of more than 800 drones and a dozen missiles left at least four dead, dozens injured, and even a section of Ukraine’s cabinet building scorched by fire.

For the first time in the three-and-a-half-year conflict, the heart of the Ukrainian government quarter was directly hit, a moment many here described as both terrifying and symbolic.

Trump’s stern warning to Moscow

Speaking to reporters shortly after the attack, US President Donald Trump said he was “not happy with the whole situation” and warned that new sanctions against Russia were on the table.

His response came just weeks after his August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin produced no breakthrough on a ceasefire. Since then, Russia has intensified its strikes, raising questions about whether Moscow is deliberately testing Washington’s resolve.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visibly shaken but resolute, said he was counting on a “strong” American response. “Putin is testing the world,” he warned, urging allies not to let Russia normalise terror.

Europe rallies behind Ukraine

The assault prompted a flurry of condemnations across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia was “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the strikes “cowardly,” while EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen accused the Kremlin of “mocking diplomacy.”

Beyond words, several European leaders have signalled they may go further. Some countries have pledged to oversee any potential peace agreement and even suggested the possibility of deploying troops, a move that Putin has already branded unacceptable.

A nation under fire

On the ground in Kyiv, emergency services pulled survivors from rubble while extinguishing fires in high-rise apartments. Among the wounded was a 24-year-old pregnant woman, rushed to hospital where she delivered her baby prematurely. Both mother and child remain in critical care.

Tragedy reached beyond human loss. Ukraine’s foreign ministry noted that seven horses were killed at an equestrian club, a detail that struck many online as a reminder of how indiscriminate the destruction has become. “The world cannot stand aside while a terrorist state takes lives, human or animal every single day,” the ministry wrote on X.

The bigger picture: sanctions and survival

Washington is already weighing its next steps. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that tariffs on countries buying Russian oil could be one of the sharpest tools left in the arsenal. “The Russian economy will be in full collapse. And that will bring President Putin to the table,” he told NBC.

Yet Russia shows no signs of backing down. It continues to hold around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and presses forward in costly, grinding battles that have already claimed tens of thousands of lives.

What South Africans and the world are asking

On social media, South Africans drew parallels to their own struggles with state violence and institutional trust. Some praised Trump’s tougher line, while others questioned whether sanctions alone could shift Putin’s strategy.

For many watching abroad, the weekend’s strike underscored that this war is not drifting into stalemateit is escalating. The attack on Kyiv’s government buildings was more than military, it was psychological, meant to show that nowhere in Ukraine is beyond Russia’s reach.

Trump’s warning of new sanctions marks a critical moment in global diplomacy. Whether his administration and Europe can mount a response strong enough to change Moscow’s calculations remains uncertain. What is clear is that Ukraine, bloodied but unbowed, is still counting on the world to step up.