US President Donald Trump gave a strong threat to Russia on Friday, promising sweeping sanctions unless a peace deal and ceasefire with Ukraine are finalized.
"Due to the fact that Russia is totally 'pounding' Ukraine on the battlefield at this moment, I am seriously thinking about imposing large-scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED," Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social.
He called on both countries to sit down at the negotiating table at once, saying, "To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late."
Earlier on Friday, Russia conducted a massive air attack, with Kyiv reporting 67 missile strikes and 194 drone attacks. Although Ukrainian air defenses shot down most of them, some did land on critical energy infrastructure, such as gas and power plants.
Trump's threats are his first serious warning to Russia since his return to office for a second term. Throughout his 2024 campaign for re-election, he made consistent assertions that the war would have been over on his first day in office and that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine if he were in charge. Although the second statement cannot be proved, the first is now being tested, as the war has gone on for two months now in his new term.
Trump has been able to put pressure on Ukraine to think about a ceasefire and ultimate settlement. After a dramatic Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said he was imposing a temporary halt on all US aid to Ukraine, even halting intelligence-sharing between the two countries.
But after getting what was officially termed a "regret" letter from Ukraine, Trump indicated his openness to working with Zelensky towards peace. The two sides' officials will sit down for talks next week, which will feature talks on a US-Ukraine deal giving Washington access to Ukraine's enormous reserves of rare earth minerals.
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