In a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose ” high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions” on Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t make a deal to end his war in Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia and its allies if a deal is not made soon to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better,” he wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
“If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries,” he added.
Trump also wrote that he “always had a very good relationship with President (Vladimir) Putin” and that he is doing him “a very big favour.”
The post comes after Trump failed to fulfil his campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. Recent reports have suggested his administration now expects it to take several months to broker a deal.
However, the warning will likely be ignored by the Kremlin. Washington already prohibits the import of virtually all Russian products, and Russia has faced a multitude of US and European sanctions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began almost three years ago.
Besides a small amount of fertiliser, animal feed, inorganic materials like tin and machinery, Moscow currently exports very little to the US that could be subject to tariffs. Oil had been Russia’s largest export to the US, but such trade was zeroed out in 2023.
