Donald Trump threatens Russia with sanctions and increased tariffs if the war in Ukraine does not end

He president of the United States, Donald Trump, returned this Wednesday to threaten with sanctions on Russia If the Russian president, Vladimir Putinrefuses to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump first issued this warning on Tuesday during a press conference at the White House and, this Wednesday, he went further by stating that he would also impose tariffs on Russia and that the punishment could be extended to other countries that are providing support to Moscow in the conflict.

“If we don’t reach an agreement soon, I will have no choice but to impose high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on any product I Russia sell to USAas well as other countries that are participating,” Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social.

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Although Trump did not specify which countries could be sanctioned, China, Iran y North Korea —which are already subject to trade restrictions by the US— are those that have supported Russia the most with shipments of military material or diplomatic support in international organizations.

The US president also appealed directly to Putin, stating that ending the war would benefit Russiagiven the current state of its economy. “End this now and stop this ridiculous war. It’s only going to get worse!” he warned.

Despite the threat of tariffs against Russiathe truth is that trade between both countries has been very limited since the start of the war in Ukraine, in February 2022.

According to the latest data available from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), in 2022 trade in goods and services between the United States and Russia reached an estimated total of $20.2 billion.

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US exports were $4.5 billion, while imports totaled $15.7 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $11.2 billion in favor of Russia.

During the election campaign, Trump promised that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he never detailed how he would achieve it. This Tuesday, that deadline was met without progress since he took office on Monday at noon.

For his part, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, recently lowered expectations by asking in an interview with Fox News for a period of 100 days to negotiate peace.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, in February 2022, USA has imposed numerous sanctions against Russia, which include restrictions on the oil sector and large Russian banks, with the aim of isolating Moscow from the international financial system based on the dollar.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP

“They owe an apology”

In addition, the Republican attacked a Washington bishop, Mariann Budde, for a sermon about “the fear” sown by the US president among migrants and members of the LGTBQ community.

“This pseudobishop (…) was a left-wing radical, who hates Trump“, he wrote early Wednesday on his Truth Social platform.

“It had an unpleasant tone, and it was neither convincing nor intelligent,” added the president, who described the service as “very boring and uninspiring.”

“She is not very good at her job. She and her church owe an apology,” he estimated.

During the religious service at the Washington National Cathedral, the bishop asked Trumpsitting in the front row next to his wife Melania, may he have “mercy.”

“The vast majority of migrants are not criminals,” he told him. He frowned.

Shortly after taking office, Trump announced decrees against clandestine migration and denied the existence of transgender people.

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“Not aligned”

Trump He wants to avenge the “betrayal” that, according to him, constituted the 2020 election of Democrat Joe Biden.

To this end, he ordered his team to “actively identify and remove more than 1,000 people appointed by the previous administration.”

People “who are not aligned with our vision,” he stated in Truth Social.

He assured that four had already been “fired.” Among them the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mark Milley, who was an advisor, and Admiral Linda Fagan, appointed by Joe Biden to head the United States Coast Guard.