On Wednesday, President Donald Trump threatened Russia with dire economic consequences if it refuses to accept a settlement to end its nearly three-year war with Ukraine. In a post on his social media, Trump directly addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin and said if an agreement cannot be reached, he would impose heavy sanctions and tariffs on Russian goods.
“I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE but to impose Tax, Tariff, and Sanctions on all of the many things Russia sells to the USA & to the rest of the World,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He underscored the need to end the hostilities, adding, “Let’s stop this war — no more lives should be lost. You can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Trump has made much of the claim that he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he were president. But his inauguration on Monday did not provide a quick solution to the conflict. That, instead, seems to be his plan to apply economic pressure on Russia, a method he has previously triggered against other nations like Mexico and Canada.
“All I want is that the other side doesn’t do anything bad to Russia—I’ve always had a good relationship with Russian people and President Putin,” Trump wrote. “But it’s time to end this war that makes no sense. Russia’s economy is in shambles and I’m giving you an opportunity to get it right. Settle now, or it’s just going to get worse.”
Trump also mentioned the Soviet Union’s role in World War II, saying it lost 60 million during the war, although experts say the Soviet Union lost 24 million lives in the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in December that the war has killed 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers and wounded 370,000 others. He also said Ukraine had estimated 198,000 Russian soldiers were dead, and more than 550,000 had been wounded.
