US President Donald Trump urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to reach an agreement to end the ongoing war in Ukraine “immediately” or risk facing increased tariffs and additional sanctions.
“If we don’t secure a ‘deal’ soon, I will have no choice but to impose steep taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on all goods sold by Russia to the United States and other allied nations,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump stated that he was “not looking to hurt Russia”, adding that he has “always enjoyed a strong relationship with President Putin,” a leader he has shown admiration for in the past.
Trump’s stance was more assertive than during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, where he remarked that it “seems likely” he would impose additional sanctions if Putin did not engage in negotiations.
The US president also refrained from confirming whether he would continue Joe Biden’s approach of supplying arms to Ukraine to combat Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022.
Before taking office on Monday, Trump had pledged to bring an end to the war in Ukraine even before his inauguration, raising anticipation that he would use aid as a means to encourage Kyiv to make concessions to Moscow.
In a rare critique of Putin on Monday, Trump said that the Russian leader was “ruining Russia by failing to reach a deal.”
Trump added that Zelensky had communicated his desire for a peace agreement to resolve the conflict.
