President Donald Trump is trying his best to put an end to the bloodshed after the infamous war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in severe tensions. Things worsened after Trump and Ukraine’s President, Zelenskyy, had a public disagreement, where Trump yelled at him and asked him to leave the Oval Office.
In recent news, Donald Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday about the potential for “devastating” sanctions if Moscow rejects a ceasefire deal in the continuing Ukraine war. Previously, Ukraine seemed to support the ceasefire proposal but was keen for the U.S. to convince Russia to accept it. This statement proves Ukraine’s lack of trust in Russia.
As per GB News, Donald Trump commented following a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin at the White House. He revealed that U.S. negotiators are en route to Russia for talks on a possible ceasefire, just a day after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce. “There are things you could do that wouldn’t be pleasant, in a financial sense,” Trump said.
He added, “I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia, would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want peace.”
As per BBC, this is not the first time Trump has issued a public warning. In January 2025, he warned Vladimir Putin, stating that Russia would face high tariffs and further sanctions if it failed to end the constant war in Ukraine. Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump expressed that by pushing for a resolution to the war, he would be doing Russia and its leader a “very big favor.”
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Putin has said that Russia is okay to end the war as long as Ukraine accepts Russia’s territorial gains and continues to demand that Ukraine refrain from joining NATO, the Western military alliance. However, Zelenskyy has an entirely different take on it.
The White House subsequently confirmed that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Moscow later this week, and he aims to secure a ceasefire from Russia. Donald Trump’s warning proves America’s ability to cause damage to Russia’s economy by providing sanctions and other monetary measures.
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Meanwhile, after Trump and Zelenskyy’s disastrous meeting, America decided to halt military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Still, this issue was solved once Kyiv agreed to the truce proposal on Tuesday. In addition, Donald Trump claimed that even though he believed that Ukraine might have been a problematic party to deal with, it’s up to Russia to accept the proposal or not.
A ceasefire is essential to ease tensions which have taken an ugly turn in global politics. However, it will require all three parties to negotiate terms and carefully balance the weight of the decisions and words.
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Trump’s direct intervention, threat of sanctions, and push for negotiations all signal his intent to play a pivotal role in ending this crisis. Therefore, while we wait to see Russia’s stance on the proposal, Donald Trump’s recent threat showcases America’s continuing role in international conflict resolution.
