Every day of his new term in the White House, Donald Trump has sent a message to Vladimir Putin, with the tone becoming increasingly aggressive. On Wednesday, the American president issued a warning to Russia, threatening with „high-level” sanctions and import taxes if an agreement is not reached to end the war in Ukraine.
In response, Trump has so far received only a cautious reply.
"It's not just a matter of ending the war. It is, first and foremost, a matter of addressing the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine. So, we need to see what deal means in President Trump's understanding," said Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy ambassador of Russia to the United Nations, as quoted by The Guardian.
The Russian official continued: "He (Trump - ed.) is not responsible for what the United States has done in Ukraine since 2014, making it 'anti-Russia' and preparing for war with us, but now it is within his power to stop this ill-intentioned policy."
The statement comes after Trump stated that Russia's economy is declining and that Vladimir Putin must "come to an understanding and stop this ridiculous war."
Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of the political analysis firm R.Politik, emphasized that despite Trump's pressures, the Russian leader seems convinced that he has the necessary resources to withstand the conflict longer than Ukraine.
"A peace deal on Russia's terms would save significant resources, but in the absence of such a deal, Putin is prepared to fight for as long as necessary. Russia's current economic situation is unlikely to force him to negotiate with Ukraine," explained Stanovaya.
The analyst added that if the Kremlin concludes that a favorable deal with Trump is not possible, it is most likely to continue prolonging the conflict.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine in a single day if he were president. However, this has not materialized since his inauguration on Monday.
His Wednesday message suggests a clear intention to use economic sanctions against Russia, similar to those he threatened Mexico and Canada with.
Politico writes that Ukraine hopes Trump will end nearly three years of war and force Putin to come to the negotiating table. "Trump is a businessman. He knows how to exert pressure," said President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday after delivering a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that he is "confident" about the new American administration.