US President Donald Trump issued a strong ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, urging him to negotiate an end to the ongoing Ukraine war “now” or risk facing increased tariffs and sanctions.
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump warned that failure to reach a deal would compel him to impose “high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries.”
While Trump emphasized his historically positive relationship with Putin, he stated, “All of that being said, 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.”
This declaration marked a shift from Trump’s earlier remarks during a White House press conference, where he suggested that further sanctions were likely if Putin did not engage in dialogue. He refrained from confirming whether he would continue the Biden administration’s policy of supplying weapons to Ukraine, stating, “We’re looking at that” and mentioning ongoing discussions with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Putin.
Ahead of his inauguration, Trump had pledged to end the Ukraine conflict and hinted at using aid as leverage to prompt Kyiv to consider concessions to Moscow. In a rare critique of Putin, Trump remarked that the Russian leader was “destroying Russia by not making a deal,” adding that Zelensky expressed a desire for a peace agreement to conclude the war.
