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Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that the US is ready to punish Russia with a series of new trade sanctions if Moscow fails to reach an agreement soon to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump's statement on True Social post Wednesday comes as the president tries to increase pressure on Moscow to start negotiations with Ukraine.
It marks his first comprehensive statement on the conflict since returning to his second term in the White House after promising a campaign trail to end it. war within 24 hours of returning to control.
“If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no choice but to impose higher levels of Tariffs, Tariffs, and Penalties on anything that Russia sells to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump he wrote.
“Let's start this war, which would never have started if I was the President, it's over!” We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always the best,” he continued.
Joe Biden's administration imposed sanctions on Moscow after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US trade with Russia has declined, so any additional tariffs will have little impact.
But Trump administration officials believe there are many ways the US can tighten its grip on Russia financially, particularly by targeting its energy sector.
The Biden administration was reluctant to ban Russian oil and gas exports for fear of disrupting global energy markets. Under the former president, Washington imposed some restrictions on liquefied natural gas projects in Russia and imposed an international tariff on Russian oil, which Moscow managed to avoid.
During his confirmation hearing as Trump's secretary, Scott Bessent last week told Congress that he would be “100 percent on board with taking sanctions, especially on Russian oil giants, at levels that will bring the Russian Federation to the table”.
Bessent added that he believes the US sanctions against Russia imposed by Biden are “not comprehensive enough”.
Trump, who has questioned US military aid to Ukraine, has said he expects to meet Putin soon and the Kremlin has said the Russian leader is willing to sit down with the US president, but no summit is planned.
In his post, Trump described his “very good relationship with President Putin” and said that he is not looking to “hurt” Russia, but will do it “will” by forcing it to reach an agreement.
Hours after being sworn in on Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Putin is “destroying Russia” by continuing the war in Ukraine.
But the president's announcement reveals his frustration that Moscow does not seem to be heeding his calls for reform.
“Putin doesn't want to end the war, and he doesn't want to be forced into peace,” a senior Ukrainian official close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times in response to Trump's comments.
Trump's special envoy for the war in Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News earlier this month that he hopes to find a solution within “100 days”.
Kellogg canceled a trip to hold meetings with senior officials in Kyiv earlier this month, according to people with knowledge of the plans. People say the envoy delayed his visit because Trump has not made a plan to get the Russians to the negotiating table and end the war.
Kellogg is expected to visit Kyiv next month but Ukrainians may first meet with him and other members of Trump's team in Washington.
David Arakhamia, head of Zelenskyy's party in the Ukrainian parliament, said the delegation from Kyiv plans to meet members of the new administration in the US capital in the coming days.
“Active communication between the delegation from the Ukrainian parliament and the new Trump team may begin in early February as part of the 'Ukraine Week' to be held in Washington,” he told Ukrainian television on Tuesday.