Russia is not impressed by Donald Trump’s threat of sanctions.
The Kremlin told Russian media Thursday that Trump’s demands to immediately end the war in Ukraine did not move the needle in Moscow—despite the president warning he will further cripple Russia’s economy.
“We do not see any particular new elements here,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov noted that Trump “liked sanctions” and used them during his first term, suggesting Vladimir Putin and Russia had already anticipated he might issue more when he returned to office.
“Russia is ready for an equal and careful dialogue with the United States, which we had during Trump’s first term,” Peskov said, according to Meduza.
Peskov claimed Trump and his team are yet to reach out to Putin since he retook the White House, saying “we are waiting for signals that have not yet been received.”
The Kremlin’s comments come a day after Trump threatened to further cripple Russia’s already “failing” economy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. 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.”
Trump further warned “we can do it the easy way, or the hard way—and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”
Despite being in office less than a week, Trump is already behind schedule on his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine on day one of his presidency—if not sooner.
“That is a war that’s dying to be settled,” Trump said during his September debate against Kamala Harris. “I will get it settled before I even become president.”
Trump backed off that assurance after he won the election. He told reporters at Mar-a-Lago it would not be inappropriate to meet with Putin before his inauguration and thus a deal would have to wait until Jan. 20.
Come inauguration day, however, a deal still was not reach. As he signed executive orders of all sorts—like the renaming of natural features—on Monday, Trump brushed off a reporter who questioned him about his promise to end the war on day one.
“Well, there’s only half a day,” he said, suggesting a peace agreement might still be reached by midnight. “I have another half a day left. We’ll see. We want to get it done.”
Trump, of course, did not get it done by the day’s end. The war between Russia and Ukraine is now nearing its third year.
Casualty counts have been disputed, but Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, gave a rare update in December that claimed 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 370,000 wounded. Russia, meanwhile, has reported a combined 600,000 wounded or killed.
There have been reports suggesting Russia may wind down the war soon because of the strain it has put on its economy. Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources, that “Putin has grown increasingly concerned about distortions in Russia’s wartime economy” and some of the country’s elite feel a peace deal may be the answer.
