US President Donald ‘Tariff’ Trump is threatening tariffs on Russia for its continued attacks on Ukraine, urging the two countries to ‘get to the table right now’.
It’s the latest move by Trump to follow-up on an election promise he made to end the war in Ukraine, says the New York Post (The Post).
On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform, “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED.”
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!”
Trump’s announcement comes exactly a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was kicked out of the White House after an argument in the Oval office.
In that argument, Trump accused Zelenskyy of being skeptical of the value of a temporary cease-fire.
“We can’t just speak about cease-fire and speak and speak. It will not work,” Zelenskyy said at the meeting, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s record of broken agreements and fear of future attacks.
Trump replied, “Look, if you could get a cease-fire right now, I tell you, you’d take it, so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
This is the first time since taking office Trump has issued a public threat against Russia, after taking a softer line toward Putin, while hammering Zelenskyy, reports Axios, adding a senior White House official said "Trump's rage has been intensifying" in recent days due to Russia's behaviour and its escalation of strikes on Ukraine at the same time that he's been pushing for a ceasefire.”
The threat of tariffs on Russia comes as Trump’s aides are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian officials next week in Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the parties would be discussing plans for a cease fire after Washington paused military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, reports The Post, adding Trump says a pending framework pact that would grant America a 50% stake in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals would effectively give Kyiv security guarantees through the presence of mining personnel.
The meeting comes several weeks after a high-level meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, reports Axios.
“Tariffs would likely have little impact, given that the US only imported about $3 billion worth of goods from Russia in fiscal 2024, per the Census Bureau, says Axios. “The US also has extensive sanctions in place against Russia already.”