United States President, Donald Trump, has issued a stern warning to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, threatening higher tariffs and additional sanctions if Russia does not bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump stated that by seeking to resolve the war, he was doing both Russia and its president “a very big favour.”
He also reiterated his earlier claim that he could negotiate a settlement to Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022, within a single day.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Trump disclosed plans to speak with Putin “very soon,” noting that it “sounds likely” he would impose tougher sanctions if no progress was made.
However, in his social media post, he adopted a more forceful tone, stating, “I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE.”
Trump further warned that if a deal was not reached, he would impose “high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions” on Russian exports to the US and its allies. Emphasising the urgency of the situation, he added: “Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better.”
Russia has yet to officially respond to Trump’s remarks. However, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, told Reuters that the Kremlin would need clarity on what Trump desires in a peace deal before taking any steps.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the World Economic Forum, suggested the need for at least 200,000 peacekeepers to enforce any agreement.
In an interview with Bloomberg, he insisted that US troops would be vital to any peacekeeping force, arguing that their presence would provide a credible deterrent to Russia.
The war, which first started in 2014 and escalated in 2022, has resulted in devastating losses for both nations.
