He warned that he would impose high tariffs and further sanctions on , if Vladimir did not end .
Writing on the social networking platform Truth Social, he said that by pushing for an end to the war he was doing Russia and its president a “very big favor”.
“I will do Russia a big favor”
In his Truth Social post on Wednesday, he went further: “I love Russians. I will be doing Russia, whose economy is collapsing, and President Putin, a very big favor,” he wrote.
“Compromise now, and stop this ridiculous war! It will only get worse. Unless we make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no choice but to impose high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on everything sold by Russia, both in the United States and in other countries.”
Continuing, he added: “Russia should be the only country that can do something like this: ‘Let’s end this war, which would never have started if I were President!’ We can do it the easy way or the hard way – and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘make a deal’.”
Accordingly, the Kremlin said it saw nothing new in US President Donald Trump’s latest statements on the conflict in Ukraine, adding that Moscow was ready for a “mutually respectful” dialogue» with Washington.
“We don’t see much new evidence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about Trump’s threat of new sanctions if Russia does not end its nearly three-year offensive. Moscow is “ready for dialogue with mutual respect,” he added.
Putin has repeatedly said he is willing to negotiate an end to the war, which began in 2014, but that Ukraine will have to accept the reality of Russian territorial gains, which now amount to about 20 percent of its territory. He also refuses to allow Ukraine to join NATO.
Kiev does not want to give up its territory, although the president has admitted that it may have to temporarily cede some occupied territory. On Tuesday, Trump said at a press conference that he would talk to Putin “very soon” if the Russian leader does not come to the negotiating table.
The state of the Russian economy
The Russian economy is stable and maintaining a relatively high growth rate despite some problematic factors, Dmitry Peskov said when asked to comment on a Reuters story.
President Vladimir Putin is increasingly concerned about distortions in Russia’s wartime economy, just as Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the conflict in Ukraine, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Russia will fulfill all military and social obligations, Peskov added.
