(Image: Getty)America’s Treasury Secretary has signalled the US and European Union could join forces to ramp up sanctions aimed at collapsing the Russian economy, sparking a furious nuclear threat from a top Kremlin ally.
Scott Bessent said this week the West could “partner” on heightened sanctions to squeeze Moscow’s finances as Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine drags on, reports the Mirror.
The savage invasion, launched in February 2022, was branded unprovoked and unjustified by world leaders and has drawn global condemnation.
But Putin’s hardline pal and state TV mouthpiece Vladimir Solovyov lashed out in terrifying fashion, vowing nuclear strikes if the West dared to go further.
In a rant shared online by journalist Julia Davis, who monitors Russian propaganda, Solovyov said: “He (Bessent) says, it’s a question of what will collapse first, the Russian economy, after all sanctions are imposed, or the Ukrainian Army.
“For some reason, he thinks that if all possible sanctions are imposed against us, we will sit down at the negotiating table.
“We’ll just strike with our nuclear weapons, and that’s it,” he said. “We’ll carry out a strike, and that’s it.”
He went on to claim Europe is “getting ready for a war” against Moscow – urging Russia to “fight harshly and terribly,” reports the Express.
Poland triggers NATO emergency
His remarks came as tensions exploded in Eastern Europe after 19 Russian drones violating Polish airspace during a night-time assault on western Ukraine, Polish PM Donald Tusk confirmed.
In a dramatic escalation, Poland officially triggered NATO’s Article 4, declaring a national security emergency.
The conflict has fuelled growing fears over nuclear weapons, with Russia boasting the world’s largest atomic arsenal and its media figures issuing repeated threats throughout the conflict.
Russian media figures have repeatedly issued nuclear threats throughout the hostilities.
US plots economic warfare
Bessent, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, said: “We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia. But we need our European partners to follow us.
“Because if the U.S. and the EU do this together, we are in a race now between can the, how long can the Ukrainian military hold up versus how long can the Russian economy hold up?”.
Vladimir Solovyov, a presenter on Russian state television and close Putin ally(Image: Getty)“And if the U.S. and the EU can come in, do more sanctions, secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will be in full collapse. And that will bring President Putin to the table.”
Energy chief calls for Europe to act
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the Financial Times: “If the Europeans drew a line and said, ‘We’re not going to buy more Russian gas, we’re not going to buy Russian oil,’ would that have a positive influence on the U.S. leaning in more aggressively on sanctions as well? Absolutely.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, called for new sanctions against Russia this week on X: “Mr. President, Congress is with you. We stand ready to pass legislation authorising bone crushing new sanctions and tariffs that can be deployed at your discretion. Our goal is to empower you as you deal with this mounting threat.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump (Image: AFP via Getty Images)Moscow remains defiant
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to Reuters, stated: “No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about.”
Efforts to end the years-long war have come to a standstill. Tensions continue to escalate dangerously in Europe, with United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric highlighting the incident with Poland as it “again underlines the regional impact and real risk of expansion of this devastating conflict.”