President Donald Trump on Friday warned Moscow he was ‘strongly considering’ imposing sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and peace agreement is reached with Ukraine.
It marks a shift in tone after Trump worried allies with warm words about how trusted President Vladimir Putin and a call for Moscow to be readmitted to the G7.
A senior administration official said ‘the president’s has intensified over Russia escalating as he’s trying to get both sides to the table.’
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his fury.
‘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,’ he posted.
‘To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late.’
He offered no further details on his plans.
However, the U.S., Europe and other nations have already imposed thousands of sanctions on Russia—focused on the oil industry and finance sector—designed to hobble its economy and increase pressure to end the war.
President Donald Trump signaled Friday he was ready to get tougher on Russia in an effort to end the conflict in Ukraine
Trump used Truth Social to send a warning to Moscow
Trump’s strong words come as Russia keeps up its barrage on Ukraine, and amid signs it is about to launch a major spring offensive.
Trump promised to end the conflict on day one of his presidency.
The complexity of the task means he has dropped that target but still wants to end the war as fast as possible.
His administration has choked off military aid and intelligence to Ukraine to pressure it into a deal.
However that has alarmed European nations, who fear Trump has become too soft on Russia, which sparked the war by invading three years ago.
It followed a disastrous meeting in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when the two clashed over whether Putin could be trusted.
Zelensky left before lunch and a press conference and has since spent time rallying other allies.
And last week Trump’s administration voted against a United Nations resolution that marked the third anniversary of the war by condemning the Russian invasion.
On Thursday, it emerged key allies were weighing whether to withhold sensitive intelligence from Washington for fear it might end up being shared with Russia.
A State Emergency Service of Ukraine handout photo shows a firefighting team tackling a fire after Russian troops launched a massive strike with guided air bombs on a front-line settlement in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 06
Trump has alarmed allies by saying he believed he could trust President Vladimir Putin
At the same time, Russia appears to be gearing up for a major spring offensive.
Russian state TV revealed that Moscow is preparing ‘big reserve forces’ and ‘large units’ that analysts say will ‘100 per cent advance’ on Ukrainian troops once the weather changes.
Friday brought a whirlwind round of diplomacy as Trump kept up the rapid pace of his first two months in office.
He also announced he had written to Iran’s supreme leader offering a resumption of nuclear talks.
‘I’ve written them a letter saying, “I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,”‘ he said during an interview broadcast by Fox Business News.
Trump pulled the U.S. out of an international nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018, and on-again, off-again negotiations sputtered during the Biden administration.
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Trump threatens devastating new tariffs on Russia unless Putin and Zelensky make peace ‘right now’
