President Donald Trump stepped up force Wednesday on Russia to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, and threatened economic sanctions on the state if it refuses to conclude fighting soon.
In a Truth Social blog, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin should make a deal “soon, ” or else he would “have no other choice” but to impose additional taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russian imports to the U. S. , along with “other participating states. ”
Trump campaigned on promises to fast end the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale war of Ukraine in 2022. He’s dialed up those commitments more just and acknowledged the trouble of reaching an agreement to stop the fighting, with the Soviet military recording regular improvements. The U. S. has been Ukraine’s biggest financial and military sponsor, and Trump has signaled he may reduce the help.
“I’m never looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin, ” Trump said. “Let’s get this conflict, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the tough approach– and the easy way is usually better. It’s occasion to “MAKE A DEAL. ” NO MORE LIVES If BE LOST! ! ! ”
It’s no clear what items may be subject to the punishments that Trump threatened, or which other countries might meet such an endeavor. The Trump administration could possibly target Russia’s big oil exporters, a move that coming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent endorsed next year.
Other possibilities include targeting third-country lenders that facilitate Russian purchases, or seizing the approximately$ 300 billion of Soviet reserves that have been frozen in Western nations since the war, according to Bloomberg Economics, though both procedures come with risks.
The potential for deploying tariffs is limited because the U. S. imported only about$ 4. 6 billion worth of goods from Russia in 2023 — less than 0. 2 % of total imports, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The U. S. has already imposed extensive sanctions on Russia, though it ’s struggled to persuade some of Russia’s key trading partners — such as India — to scale back their purchases.
Trump has previously said a meeting with Putin is in the works, though no date or venue has been announced. Putin earlier in the week said the Kremlin was ready for talks, although he focused on the need for a long-term peace. Trump met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York last year and indicated that the Ukrainian leader was ready to end the conflict.
The U. S. president, who took office on Monday, has already taken credit for helping to broker a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, a U. S. -designated terrorist group.
In his first evening back at the White House, Trump warned Putin that his country will suffer if there’s no peace in Ukraine. “ I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal, ” Trump said, pointing to high inflation as a sign of economic weakness. “ I think Russia’s going to be in big trouble. ”
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