President Donald Trump of the United States has warned to impose “high levels” of tariffs and sanctions on Russia if a settlement to stop the war in Ukraine is not reached.
In the social media post, Trump mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin by name, claiming that while he has always had an excellent relationship with the leader, it was time to end “this ridiculous war!”
“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better,” Trump wrote on his social media website. ” ‘It’s time to MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”
During his campaign, Trump often stated that if elected president, he could end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in a single day.
He went on to assert that if Trump had been president, Putin would never have invaded.
It is uncertain how economic sanctions might affect the Russian government. The Biden administration has already implemented various restrictions on Russia’s economic sectors.
Trump said in his post that he was not “looking to hurt Russia” and that he’s offering Putin “a very big FAVOR,” considering the number of lives lost and the impacts on Russia’s economy. Russia actually sells very little to the United States.
In the first 11 months of last year, the U.S. imported a little less than $3 billion worth of Russian goods which is about one-tenth of 1% of total U.S. imports. And it’s a reduction of about 90% from what the U.S. imported from Russia in 2021, the year before the invasion of Ukraine.
“Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” he also wrote.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would like to have peace, “but it takes two to tango.”
“We’ll see what happens anytime they want,” Trump said. “I mean, I’d like to see that end. Millions of people are being killed, and they’re being killed. It’s a vicious situation.”
