The Trump administration is working to set up talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations for a Ukraine cease-fire.
President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs and sanctions on the Russian economy on Jan. 22, in his opening presidential push for a quick end to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.
“I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and [Russian President Vladimir Putin], a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. “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.”
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly indicated he would seek to negotiate an end to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, and at times said he could reach a deal within 24 hours in office. Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, in an interview with Fox News earlier this month, set a more relaxed goal to reach a deal within Trump’s first 100 days in office.
In a Jan. 9 press engagement at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said his team was working to set up a meeting with Putin. The Russian president congratulated Trump on his White House return on Monday, and said, “Moscow is open for dialogue with the United States that will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis.”
The Epoch Times contacted the White House on Wednesday for further details about its efforts to set up talks with Putin and about Trump’s new tariff threat. The White House did not respond by publication time.
Even as Trump called on Wednesday for Putin to quickly accept a deal, it’s not yet clear what peace terms, if any, the White House has conveyed to Putin.
In a September interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, then-Senator and vice presidential candidate JD Vance said a cease-fire might entail freezing the conflict along the current battle lines and establishing a heavily fortified demilitarized zone along those lines.
Trump has offered only brief comments about his Russia–Ukraine deal since returning to the White House this week.
When asked by a reporter during a Jan. 21 press engagement if he would pursue added sanctions against Russia if Putin refused negotiations, Trump replied, “Sounds likely.” The reporter then asked if the fighting should be halted along the current battle lines, to which Trump replied, “The war should have never started.”
Another reporter at the Jan. 21 press engagement asked Trump if the United States would continue flowing weapons to Ukraine.
“Well we’re looking at that,” Trump replied.
At another point in the press briefing, Trump said he had called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to join in pushing for a settlement in the Russia–Ukraine war.
“I said, ‘You ought to get it settled,’ because he’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of, a lot of power,” Trump said.
Putin and Xi held a virtual meeting on Jan. 21, just hours after Trump’s inauguration.