Trump warns Russia of high tariffs, tough sanctions

KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump has threatened Russia with high tariffs and tougher sanctions if it fails to end the Ukraine war.

“If we don’t make a deal soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other countries,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In the social media post on Wednesday, the new US leader said: “Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better.”

CNN quoted him as saying in 2023: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done – I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”

On Truth Social, the Republican leader said he was not out to hurt Russia, but loved it and always had a good relationship with President Putin.

Trump stressed. “We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process.”

By pushing to settle the Ukraine conflict, Trump claimed he was doing Russia and its president a huge favour.

Currently, according to the BBC, the main Russian exports to the United States are phosphate-based fertilisers and platinum.

PAN Monitor/mud