U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (January 22) warned of imposing “high levels” of sanctions on Russia and tariffs on its imports if the country fails to negotiate a settlement to end its nearly three-year-long war against Ukraine.
In a social media post on his third day in office, Trump directly addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL.” NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”
Trump has frequently claimed that he could bring an end to the war in Ukraine within a single day if elected to a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House. The conflict began in February 2022 when Russia launched its invasion.
NATO Chief Hails Trump’s Warning
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s firm warning, expressing hopes that Europe will now also “step up” with sanctions in a bid to “choke off the Russian economy.”
“I was very, very happy with the position of Trump to put more sanctions on Russia. We know that the Russian economy is doing terribly bad[ly], and the sanctions will help,” he told CNBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Trump is right, Ukraine is closer to Europe, but Trump is also right that it is a geopolitical conflict so I’m sure the U.S. wants it to end with a good and strong deal,” Rutte added.
