United States President Donald Trump has issued a statement threatening Russia with tariffs and sanctions, amid accusations that he favours Moscow over the country it has invaded, Ukraine.
On his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump avoided condemning Russia’s invasion, which has been denounced as an unjustified crime of aggression under the United Nations Charter.
“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED,” Trump wrote.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!”
Trump has repeatedly stated his aim of serving as a “peacemaker” and “mediator” between Russia and Ukraine, the latter of which has been fending off a full-scale invasion since February 2022.
But Trump has increasingly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while showing an affinity for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Later, in a Friday news conference at the White House, Trump described negotiations with Russia as “easier” than similar discussions with Ukraine.
“I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine, and they don’t have the cards,” Trump said. “It may be easier dealing with Russia.”
Tensions with Zelenskyy started to re-emerge shortly after Trump took office for a second term in January.
There has been growing scepticism among Trump’s Republican Party about continued support for Ukraine.
And Trump had previously been impeached during his first term over an alleged threat to withhold military aid to Ukraine if it did not provide damaging information about his political rivals — something critics say may be fuelling the present-day discord.
But Trump has stepped up his criticism of Zelenskyy in recent weeks. He has also attempted to steer peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in what some consider early concessions to Moscow.
Trump has said, for example, that it was “unlikely” Ukraine would return to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia annexed Crimea and started incursions into other territories.
He also dismissed Ukraine’s attempts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance as a non-starter, even repeating Russian talking points that Ukraine’s bid was what started the war.
On February 12, Trump announced he had conducted “a lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Putin, and that their two countries would begin peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
This led to outcry from traditional US allies in Europe, including Ukraine, which feared being sidelined from the private talks.
Then, on February 19, Trump escalated tensions by calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding war-time elections. Ukraine is under martial law as a result of the invasion, which prohibits elections from unfolding.
All the while, Trump had been pushing Ukraine to grant the US ownership over its rare earth minerals, which include metals used in technology products. Ukraine had baulked at the lack of security assurances in the deal, however.
Relations between the two leaders came to a boiling point on February 28, when Zelenskyy visited the White House to negotiate the minerals deal.
A news conference in the Oval Office devolved into a shouting match, wherein Trump berated Zelenskyy for not being “thankful” enough for US support.
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” Trump told Zelenskyy, while also remarking, “Putin went through a hell of a lot with me.”
Russian officials applauded Trump’s remarks, and shortly afterwards, Trump announced he would suspend aid to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, his administration also announced that it would temporarily cease sharing the military intelligence that Ukraine uses to track Russian troop movement, shield against incoming missiles and deploy rockets of its own.
Aljazeera
