Washington — President Trump stated Friday that he’s “strongly contemplating” imposing sanctions and tariffs on Russia till it agrees to a ceasefire and peace deal that might halt Moscow’s three-year war with Ukraine.
Mr. Trump’s post on his social media platform, Fact Social, seems to be in response to drone and missile attacks launched on Ukrainian power services Friday. The president stated that as a result of Russia is “completely ‘pounding'” Ukraine, “I’m strongly contemplating massive scale banking sanctions, sanctions and tariffs on Russia till a stop fireplace and last settlement settlement on peace is reached.”
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the desk proper now, earlier than it’s too late,” Mr. Trump wrote.
The president’s threats of tariffs and sanctions are the primary indication he’s weighing antagonistic motion in opposition to Russia since his tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the White Home one week in the past. However Mr. Trump advised reporters within the Oval Workplace on Friday that he’s “discovering it harder, frankly, to cope with Ukraine, they usually do not have the playing cards.”
“I discover that by way of getting a last settlement, it might be simpler coping with Russia — which is stunning — as a result of they’ve all of the playing cards,” he stated.
The president acknowledged that Ukraine is taking “great punishment” from Russia’s air assaults however appeared to defend Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters that he’s “doing what anyone else would do.”
“I feel he needs to get it stopped and settled and assume he is hitting it more durable than he is been hitting them,” Mr. Trump stated of Putin. “I feel in all probability anyone in that place can be doing that proper now. He needs to get it ended, and I feel Ukraine needs to get it ended.”
Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy had been on monitor final week to signal a key uncommon earth minerals settlement and maintain a information convention on the White Home, however the Ukrainian chief’s go to ended abruptly after an Oval Workplace assembly between the 2 and high U.S. and Ukrainian officers turned brazenly contentious.
The president advised Zelenskyy on the assembly that he ought to attain a ceasefire cope with Russia or “we’re out,” and Vice President JD Vance accused Ukraine’s chief of being “disrespectful” and never sufficiently grateful for U.S. assist of its efforts to fight Russia’s aggression.
Within the wake of the assembly, Mr. Trump paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing.
However negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine look like resuming, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White Home nationwide safety adviser Michael Waltz set to move to Saudi Arabia subsequent week for discussions with a Ukrainian delegation, Waltz stated Friday.
“We had preliminary engagement with the Russians, the Ukrainians had an excellent alternative to bind our economies collectively by way of that mineral deal,” Waltz advised reporters on the White Home. “Sadly that did not go so effectively, however we predict we will get issues again on monitor.” Mr. Trump additionally stated NATO Secretary Basic Rutte can be coming for a go to subsequent week.
Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s particular envoy to the Center East, advised reporters Wednesday that the aim is to “get down a framework for a peace settlement and an preliminary ceasefire.”
Individually, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated throughout a speech Thursday that the Trump administration has saved enhanced sanctions on Russia in place “and won’t hesitate to go ‘all in,’ ought to it present leverage in peace negotiations,” according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy, in the meantime, stated step one towards reaching peace is for Russia to cease its assaults.
“Ukraine is able to pursue the trail to peace, and it’s Ukraine that strives for peace from the very first second of this battle. The duty is to pressure Russia to cease the battle,” he wrote on social media Friday.
