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President Donald Trump, who earlier suspended US aid to Kyiv in an apparent attempt to promote diplomacy, warned further penalties and tariffs on Russia on Friday over its shelling of Ukraine.
“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 ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached,” Donald Trump said on his platform, Truth Social.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” he wrote.
Trump’s ultimatum follows Russia’s significant missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Friday.
Days before, following a disagreement with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Trump administration halted the transfer of US military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.
In a televised White House meeting on February 28, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky for allegedly showing ingratitude for US weapons worth billions of dollars.
Since then, both domestic opponents and allies have sharply criticised Trump, claiming he has allied with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Voting against its European allies and alongside Russia, the United States supported United Nations resolutions that called for the war to end without compromising Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation last month as a first step towards normalising relations and lifting the broad sanctions put in place by former President Joe Biden over the invasion of Ukraine.
