United States President Donald Trump has issued a statement threatening Russia with tariffs and sanctions amid accusations that he favors Moscow over the country it has invaded, Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.
On his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump avoided condemning Russia’s invasion, which has been denounced as an unjustified crime of aggression under the United Nations Charter.
Instead, he focused on Russia’s latest bombardment, which happened just days after the US announced it would temporarily stop sharing military intelligence with Ukraine.
“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,” Trump wrote, according to Al Jazeera.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!”
Trump has repeatedly stated his aim of serving as a “peacemaker” and “mediator” between Russia and Ukraine, the latter of which has been fending off a full-scale invasion since February 2022.
But Trump has increasingly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while showing an affinity for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, the Doha-based news channel said.
Later, in a Friday news conference at the White House, Trump described negotiations with Russia as “easier” than similar discussions with Ukraine.
“I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine, and they don’t have the cards,” Trump said. “It may be easier dealing with Russia.”
Tensions with Zelenskyy started to re-emerge shortly after Trump took office for a second term in January, said Al Jazeera
There has been growing skepticism among Trump’s Republican Party about continued support for Ukraine.
And Trump had previously been impeached during his first term over an alleged threat to withhold military aid to Ukraine if it did not provide damaging information about his political rivals—something critics say may be fueling the present-day discord.
But Trump has stepped up his criticism of Zelenskyy in recent weeks. He has also attempted to steer peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in what some consider early concessions to Moscow, reported the Qatari news channel.
Trump has said, for example, that it was “unlikely” that Ukraine would return to its pre-2014 borders before Russia annexed Crimea and started incursions into other territories.
He also dismissed Ukraine’s attempts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance as a non-starter, even repeating Russian talking points that Ukraine’s bid was what started the war, Al Jazeera reported.