Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on Russia if President Vladimir Putin does not negotiate an end to the nearly three-year war in Ukraine. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also warned that these measures could extend to “other participating countries.”
“If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and 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 participating countries,” Trump stated.
This announcement followed comments made on Tuesday, where Trump indicated that sanctions would target Russia if it continued the conflict. However, his post did not specify which nations he considers “participants” in the war.
Trump expressed his admiration for the Russian people, saying, “I love the Russian people and always had a very good relationship with President Putin.” He also mentioned Russia’s contributions during World War II but criticized the ongoing conflict as “ridiculous.”
The Biden administration had already implemented extensive sanctions on Russia’s banking, defense, energy, and technology sectors. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury targeted Russian energy giants Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, along with a “dark fleet” of oil tankers evading trade restrictions.
Russia’s embassy in the U.S. and its UN mission declined to comment on Trump’s latest threats.
With U.S. imports from Russia dropping to $2.9 billion in 2024 from $29.6 billion in 2021, analysts are questioning the potential impact of additional tariffs. Nevertheless, Trump remains firm, framing his strategy as a “favor” to Russia to help end its struggling war effort.
