President Donald Trump is threatening Russian President Vladimir Putin with tariffs in a random Friday role reversal only four days after planning to lift U.S. sanctions and restore ties with Moscow.
He warned Putin on Friday that he was “strongly considering” imposing sanctions if they didn’t make a peace deal with Ukraine. The switch-up also comes only a week after his heated argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr and claims that Ukraine wasn’t ready for peace.
“Based on the fact that Russia absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED,” he posted on social media.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump has been inconsistent and indecisive for weeks as he declares and then revokes tariff policies. He first threatened to ramp up sanctions on Russia in January if Putin was stalling on a Ukraine peace agreement. But on Monday White House officials began drawing up proposals to ease Russian sanctions. This appeared to be reversed again Friday when the president posted on Truth Social.
Trump isn’t just going back and forth on U.S.-Russia tariffs. He’s also changed his mind on relations with our northern and southern neighbors. He signed executive actions Thursday that delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month only days after announcing they were expected to comply.
He originally aimed at both countries’ economy with 25 percent tariffs but now claims that some products are covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) treaty, which was negotiated by Trump during his first term and made the three countries a free trade zone. The decision was a surprising turnaround after weeks of the administration backing an “America First” economic strategy.
Tariffs are now delayed until April 2.
Trump’s shift on Russia is one of his latest attempts to facilitate a peace deal. He originally promised to end the Ukraine-Russia war on the first day of his presidency.
He still claims that he’ll end the conflict but brought his loyalties into question during a volatile disagreement with Zelensky in early March. Trump accused the Ukrainian president of “gambling with World War Three” at the time. Zelensky eventually called the meeting “regrettable” and said that Ukraine was ready to negotiate peace.
Trump has long complimented Putin and sought to establish ties with the Russian government. In mid-February he said that he wanted the country to return to the Group of Seven nations (G7) and that their removal was a “mistake.” Russia was expelled after they annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014.
Trump’s new approach to Russia does not mean that the country will suffer significant blows. The U.S. has already imposed a number of sanctions and export controls on Russia, and many were extended after the war broke out.
It is unclear if new tariffs will seriously impact Russia’s economy and Trump has not offered any further information on his plans. Regardless, the U.S. does not import many Russian goods anyway. Imports from Russia totaled $3 billion in 2024, down over 34 percent from 2023.
Trump urged Russia and Ukraine to “get to the table right now, before it is too late.” He restricted military aid and intelligence to Ukraine to pressure them into an agreement. But he also seemed to support Russia last week when he voted against a United Nations resolution that condemned its invasion of Ukraine on the third anniversary of the war. U.S. allies have discussed withholding sensitive information from Trump out of fear that foreign assets could be compromised.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
