Washington could impose sanctions and tariffs on both Russia and Ukraine if the two adversaries fail to make progress in settling hostilities, US President Donald Trump has said.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said it “takes two to tango,” suggesting that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky was not exactly innocent. He emphasized that thousands of young people are dying every week and claimed he is willing to take action, whether through sanctions, tariffs, or other measures, to prevent further loss of life.
Trump also reiterated his readiness to slap new restrictions on Moscow, stating that the United States “wants to have an end” to the conflict. He stressed that the country is not prepared to enter a world war and is focusing on economic sanctions as a means to achieve peace.
During his comments, Trump criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling him “grossly incompetent” for allowing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to escalate. He claimed that “nobody goes into a war thinking they’re going to lose,” suggesting that Ukraine believed they would win and that Biden shouldn’t have let the situation develop in this way.
The US president also dismissed Moscow’s concerns about the legitimacy of Zel’ts’ leadership, stating that “it doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullsh*t, ok? Everybody’s posturing.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with NBC, reiterated Moscow’s stance, calling Zelensky the “de facto head of the regime,” and asserting that any peace deal must be signed by someone with legal authority.