President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that he will face taxes, tariffs and sanctions if Russia does not sign a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
He made the threat on his Truth Social platform.
“If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I will have no choice but to impose high taxes, tariffs and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the United States and several other participating countries,” Trump posted with his usual mix of quirky capitalization.
“Let’s end this war, which would never have started if I were president!”
Trump often claimed he would end the war in Ukraine in his first 24 hours in the White House.
He may have missed that deadline, but he has made it clear that the conflict must be brought to a halt with a mix of incentives and threats aimed at both sides.
Trump has hinted that he could step up the supply of weapons to Ukraine if Moscow does not come to the negotiating table, while indicating that supplies could be halted if Kiev refuses to approve a deal.
On Tuesday, he was asked by reporters about the possibility of choking Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy with weapons.
President Donald Trump said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as he answered questions from reporters in the White House Roosevelt Room on Tuesday.

Trump laid out his thoughts on ending the war in a Truth Social post Wednesday morning
‘Well, we’ll investigate that. We are talking to Zelensky,” he said.
“We are going to talk to President Putin very soon, and we will see what, how it will all happen. We’ll look into it.’
The war started three years ago when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. But their hopes for a quick victory were dashed by stubborn Ukrainian resistance.
Putin has repeatedly said he is willing to make a deal to end the war as long as Russia retains control of about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory.
Now the conflict is at a crucial juncture as Ukraine waits to see what its biggest ally will do after the inauguration of a new president.
Trump’s message shows that he is willing to use economic force against Moscow in the same way he has against his allies.
“It is not my intention to hurt Russia,” he wrote.
‘I love the Russian people and have always had a very good relationship with President Putin – and this despite the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX of the radical left.

Debris and rubble lie on the ground next to an apartment building that was damaged in a Russian attack two days ago, on January 22, 2025, in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine

A top Russian official said Moscow was preparing for contacts between Putin and Trump
“We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War and lost nearly 60,000,000 lives in the process.”
That number is about double the accepted number of Russian military and civilian losses.
Meanwhile, a senior Russian official said Moscow sees little opportunity to do business with Trump, Reuters reported.
“Compared to the hopelessness in every aspect of the previous White House chief (President Joe Biden), today there is an opportunity, albeit a small one,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Institute for American and Canadian Studies in Moscow. .
“It is therefore important to understand what and who we are dealing with, how we can best build relationships with Washington, how we can best maximize opportunities and minimize risks.”
He was later quoted by state news agency Tass as saying that Russia was preparing for contacts between Putin and Trump.