President Donald Trump has issued a statement that threatens Russia with tariffs and sanctions. This is Ukraine amid accusations that he supports Moscow more than the country it invaded.
On his true social platform on Friday, Trump declined to condemn Russian invasion. Russian aggression is being condemned as an unjust crime of aggression under the UN Charter.
Instead, he focused on Russia’s latest artillery fire. This comes just days after the US announced it would temporarily suspend military intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
“Currently, based on the fact that Russia is absolutely “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield, I am strongly considering tariffs and tariffs on Russia until we reach a major bank sanctions, sanctions and tariffs on Russia and a final settlement agreement on peace,” Trump wrote.
“I’ll go to Russia and Ukraine to the table right now before it’s too late. Thank you!!!”
Trump has repeatedly stated his purpose of serving as a “peacemaker” and “mediator” between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Trump has increasingly criticised Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelenkie and has shown an affinity for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Later at a press conference at the White House on Friday, Trump explained that negotiations with Russia were “easier” than similar arguments with Ukraine.
“Frankly, I find it more difficult to deal with Ukraine. They don’t have cards,” Trump said. “It might be easier to deal with Russia.”
The history of tension
Shortly after Trump took office in January, tensions with Zelensky began to reappear.
There is growing skepticism among Trump’s Republicans about his continued support for Ukraine.
And Trump was previously on fire during his first term against the threat of withholding military aid to Ukraine if he didn’t provide harmless information about his political rival.
But Trump has stepped up his criticism of Zelensky in recent weeks. He also tried to manipulate peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and as a result, some considered early concessions to Moscow.
For example, Trump said it was “impossible” to pre-2014 borders before Russia annexed Crimea and began invading other territories.
He also rejected Ukrainian attempts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance as a non-starter, and even reiterated the Russian story that Ukrainian bids had launched a war.
On February 12, Trump announced that he had conducted a “long and extremely productive call” with Putin, and that both countries would begin peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
This led to protests from traditional US allies in Europe, including Ukraine.
Then, on February 19, Trump intensified tensions by calling Zelensky a “dictator” to avoid elections at wartime. Ukraine is under martial law as a result of the invasion, and elections ban the rollout.
Meanwhile, Trump had urged Ukraine to grant US ownership to rare earth minerals, including metals used in technology products. However, Ukraine was humiliated by the lack of security guarantees in its transactions.
The relationship between the two leaders reached a boiling point on February 28th, when Zelensky visited the White House to negotiate the mineral trade.
A press conference in the oval office was left to scream, and Trump denounced Zelensky for not “thank” enough for America’s support.
“You either make a deal or we’re out,” Trump told Zelensky, “Putin went through a lot of hell with me.”
Russian officials praised Trump’s comments and announced shortly after that he would suspend aid to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, his administration also announced that Ukraine would temporarily suspend sharing military intelligence that it will use to track the movement of Russian forces and deploy shields, and its own rockets.
One night attack
Earlier on Friday, Russia announced a barrage of missiles to Ukraine’s energy facilities, appearing to be taking advantage of its current defensive blind spot.
Ukraine reported that it was able to intercept Russian drones, but had little success in destroying the missile before it could attack.
The attack was the motive for Trump’s sanctions threat, something the president himself described during his appearance in his elliptical office.
“They’re bombing hell from them now,” Trump said Friday from his oval office.
“I made a statement – a very strong statement: “You can’t do that. You can’t do that.” We are trying to help them. Ukraine has to ride the ball and do their job. ”
Still, reporters pushed Trump whether his decision to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine allowed Putin to take advantage of moments of weakness.
Trump shrugged the proposal, saying that the Russian attack was a natural response to the situation. He also found the attack in the context of negotiations with Putin.
“I think he wants to stop it and calm it down, and I think he’s hitting them harder than he’s hitting them,” Trump said of Putin.
“And I think maybe everyone in that position is doing it now. He wants to finish it, and I think Ukraine wants to finish it, but I don’t know – it’s crazy. They’re under tremendous punishment. I don’t fully understand it.”
When asked whether the US should provide more support to Ukraine to protect it from such attacks, Trump once again accused Ukraine of refusing to participate in peace talks.
“We need to know what they want to calm down. We don’t know they want to calm down. If they don’t want to calm down, we’re out of there,” Trump said.
Fence repair?
A week after the oval office exploded, Ukrainian officials tried to repair US counterparts and fences. The parties are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia next week.
Zelensky also wrote to Trump on Tuesday to show he was ready to sign a contract with the US. He also posted similar comments on social media.
“I want to repeat my commitment to peace in Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “No one wants peace as much as the Ukrainians. My team and I are ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership.
Trump read aloud some of Zelensky’s letters before a joint session of Congress, lamenting the amount the US invested in Ukraine’s defense.
“The US has sent nothing for hundreds of billions of dollars to help defend Ukraine without security,” he said. “Do you want to continue that for another five years?”
Still, the threat of sanctions against Russia on Friday is the most assertive Trump that has opposed Moscow since the start of his second term.
Trump’s predecessor, former President Joe Biden, issued multiple sanctions against Russia during his four years in office.
According to US government statistics, the total US trade with Russia in 2024 was valued at around $3.5 billion. This is down from $36 billion in 2021, the year before the full-scale Ukraine invasion began.
Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher explained that Trump’s threat of “large scale” sanctions could be a response to the pressure he feels to strengthen his response to Russia.
“Many people think Donald Trump is probably too supportive of Russia, forcing Ukraine to talks and not putting the same level of pressure in Russia,” Fischer said.
“The United States has led the world with sanctions under Joe Biden. Donald Trump hasn’t implemented anything new since he took office.”
However, it is still unclear whether Trump will overtake, especially as he is expected to meet Putin in the coming months.
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