Pence urges Trump to impose sanctions on Putin after the top of Alaska

Former vice-president Mike Pence said on Sunday that President Donald Trump was to reduce the “hammer” to Russian President Vladimir Putin with additional secondary sanctions.

After meeting Putin at a top with high stakes in Alaska, Trump went from the defense of an immediate ceasefire agreement to a broader “peace agreement” between Ukraine and Russia.

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Pence described Trump’s style by treating dictators like the “Glove Velvet Glove” approach, but said that it thought that “the hammer had to come, and it must come immediately”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet Trump in the oval office on Monday, joined by the United Kingdom and European leaders. Pence said Trump, at the same time, was to “get the phone and ask” the head of the majority of the Senate John Thune, Rs.d. “” To immediately adopt the bill on secondary sanctions which is practically supported by everyone in the American Senate. “”

Putin seems visibly annoyed as journalists dam and Trump with questions

Former Vice-President Mike Pence atauges the inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the American Capitol rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool / Getty Images)

“The combination of engagement, but also clearly for Putin that we are ready to take measures that would literally break its economy even if we redouble our commitment to Ukraine security,” said Pence.

“The last thing we want to see is that Putin uses the latter delay as a reason to continue this war until winter was released and the combat season is essentially in this part of the world,” he added later. “We cannot allow Vladimir to miss the chronometer on the war this year and this season. We must literally do the two things, and it is: the sanctions should be on the office of the president, available for his signature while the negotiations begin. This is the most important way that we are watching for what is real progress towards the peace agreement.”

Pence, who was vice-president of Trump in his first mandate, reiterated how Putin attacked Georgia under President George W. Bush, attacked Crimea under President Barack Obama and invaded Ukraine after “this disastrous withdrawal” of Afghanistan under President Joe Biden.

“Putin has not made the fact that he wants to reaffirm the old Soviet influence, what we called the evil empire in Eastern Europe,” Pence told Jake Tapper of CNN. “I think Putin only understands force, so while the president and his diplomatic team engage in this replenishment with Putin, and there seems to be an interest, in my opinion, Putin will not stop until he does not stop.”

Pence said Trump “should be congratulated for continuing peace in Ukraine”, noting that the president has already obtained peace agreements in Africa, Armenia and Azerbaijani.

“I think he deserves credit as a leader of the free world not to abandon Ukraine,” said Pence, saying “that there are many votes in and around the administration that would have reduced Ukraine months ago”.

President Donald Trump and the Vladimir Putin of Russia arrive for a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Friday, August 15, 2025. (Ap photo / Jae C. Hong)

Democrats doubt that Trump will get a Ukrainian ceasefire at the top of Alaska with Putin

Pence said he wanted to congratulate the president to “try to progress”, but said that he would have liked to have seen a cease-fire contract. However, he said that “no agreement is better than a bad deal”.

Based on the description of the talks by the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Pence said that it seemed to be that there was at least an ascent in the meeting of Putin and Trump in the United States by providing security guarantees, and clearly, the president did not lose anything with the American national security or with the security of our allies in Eastern Europe. ”

Witkoff told CNN that the Trump administration had “the intention of trying to conclude a peace agreement that ends the fighting permanently-very, very quickly, faster than a cease-fire”. He also said Trump could not accept “no kind of land exchange” on behalf of the Ukrainians. At the top, Putin pushed the Ukrainians to withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for Russian forces freeing the fronts in other fields.

“In the end, it is important to remember that the villain here is Putin. Putin has launched an unlikely brutal invasion over three years ago,” said Pence. “More than ever, America and our allies must be held firmly with Ukraine and create the conditions for a just and lasting peace.”

President Donald Trump salutes Russian President Vladimir Putin when he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Images Andrew Harnik / Getty)

A few minutes before Pence spoke to CNN on Sunday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social, teasing: “Great progress on Russia. Stay listening!”

Trump also criticized media reports on his meeting with Putin.

“It’s incredible to see how the false news violently distorts the truth about me,” wrote Trump on social networks earlier on Sunday. “There is nothing that I can say or do who would lead them to write or point out honestly on me. I had an excellent meeting in Alaska on the stupid war of Biden, a war that should never have happened !!!”

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“If I had Russia to abandon Moscow in the context of the agreement, the false news and their partner, the radical left democrats, would say that I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal,” added Trump. “This is why this is the false news! Besides, they should talk about 6 wars, etc., I just stopped !!! Maga.”