Russia blows off latest Trump threat
Russian leaders responded flippantly Tuesday to the Trump administration’s threat of “severe” tariffs if Moscow doesn’t quickly come to a peace agreement with Ukraine.
“Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote in a post on social platform X.
“Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care,” Medvedev, who also previously served as president and prime minister of Russia, added.
President Trump has upped his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying Monday that he was “very unhappy” with the leader’s continued onslaught in Kyiv. Trump has sought to pressure Russia to come back to the negotiating table through the threat of potential sanctions — including a 100 percent tariff on countries that trade with Moscow — and by arming Ukraine.
“We’re very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in about 50 days,” the president said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House.
“I will tell you that Ukraine wants to do something,” Trump said later, arguing that the Eastern European conflict has been one of the few he has not been able to help settle.
“It’s all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people,” he continued. “It’s got to stop. It’s got to stop.”
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) took a victory lap Monday after Trump threatened tougher sanctions on Russia. The duo co-sponsored legislation earlier this year to impose “primary” and “secondary” penalties on Moscow if it does not agree to long lasting peace.
Investors, however, have also largely brushed off the ultimatum. The Moscow Stock Exchange grew by 2.7 percent as of Tuesday morning, signaling a lack of concern that Trump will follow through on his threat.
The nations likely to be hit hardest by an increase in tariffs are China, Brazil and India, which rely heavily on Russian oil.
Graham lauded Trump’s moves as the administration’s commitment to defund Putin’s “war machine.”
“If you keep buying cheap Russian oil and gas to fund Putin’s war machine, President Trump is going to put a 100 percent tariff on all of your products coming in the United States if you don’t change your behavior,” the South Carolina senator said during a Monday appearance on Fox News.
“And I’m going to make a prediction, they will,” he added. “They’re going to go to Putin and say, enough, get to the table.”