US President Donald Trump issued a thinly veiled ultimatum to Russia on Wednesday, demanding an end to the Ukraine conflict and a “deal” or face new sanctions and high tariffs. Trump made the warning in a post on his online platform, Truth Social, while expressing his “love” for the Russian people and stating he “doesn’t want to harm Russia”.
Trump noted that Russia had helped the US win World War II, estimating the Soviet Union’s losses at over 120 million, a significantly higher number than the actual 27 million. He urged Russia to “calm down and end this laughable war” and claimed that if a deal is not reached soon, he will have “no other choice but to impose high taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the United States and other involved countries”.
The US President also reiterated that the Russia-Ukraine conflict “would never have started” if he were in office and warned Moscow that it can take the “easy or hard way”, implying that the US can choose to impose sanctions or not.
Before issuing the ultimatum, Trump had expressed his willingness to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that he already has a “very good understanding” with the Russian leader. When asked when the meeting might take place, Trump replied, “Whenever they want, I’ll meet.”
Meanwhile, Putin praised Trump’s intention to resume contacts between Russia and the US, which were interrupted under the Biden administration. However, the Russian President emphasized that any dialogue must be based on “mutual respect and equality”.