© Shannon Stapleton, Reuters
“Trump’s Strong Stance: Expanded Sanctions and Tariffs on Russia Until Peace is Achieved”
WASHINGTON — After weeks of distancing the U.S. from Ukraine, President Donald Trump has threatened to impose stronger sanctions and tariffs on Russia unless it reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday, stating, “Because Russia is relentlessly attacking Ukraine right now, I’m strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions, tariffs, and other sanctions on Russia until a ceasefire and final peace settlement are reached. Russia and Ukraine, come to the negotiating table now before it’s too late. Thank you!”
This warning came after a tense meeting in the Oval Office last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which ended any hopes of securing a rare earth minerals deal between the two countries. The clash raised concerns that U.S. support for Ukraine was weakening, which led to growing anxiety in Europe about how to handle the situation if the U.S. pulled back.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has criticized Zelenskyy and the U.S. administration announced a pause in providing military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted at the possibility of additional sanctions on Russia in a speech on Thursday at the Economic Club of New York. He emphasized that the Trump administration has kept tough sanctions on Russia in place and is ready to take even stronger action to use sanctions as leverage in peace talks.
“Following President Trump’s guidance, sanctions will be used aggressively for maximum impact,” Bessent said. He also criticized the Biden administration’s sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, claiming they were too weak and allowed the Russian war machine to keep functioning.
Bessent also suggested that the Biden administration lifted U.S. sanctions on Russia in January, but this claim is unclear. Before Trump took office, the Treasury Department imposed strong sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, and there is no evidence the U.S. eased them.
The Treasury Department did not respond immediately for comment.
In a post on Telegram on Friday, Zelenskyy urged for a ceasefire after Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight. He reported that Russia fired nearly 70 missiles, including cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as nearly 200 attack drones. These strikes targeted critical infrastructure that supports daily life, and although repair work is underway, residential buildings were also damaged.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready to pursue peace, saying, “Ukraine has wanted peace since the very beginning of this war. The goal is to make Russia stop the war.”
He also mentioned that Ukraine had successfully defended its airspace using F-16 jets and Mirage-2000 aircraft provided by France. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron assured Ukraine that Europe would continue to support its defense against Russia, even if the U.S. decided to stop its assistance.
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