As of Monday, Donald Trump has delivered a significant ultimatum to Vladimir Putin, seeking to broker an off-ramp from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump pledged Patriot missile support for Ukraine. In addition to the armaments, Trump suggested that if Putin does not make a peace deal with Ukraine sometime in the next 50 days, Russia will face 100 percent tariffs on Russian goods. (RELATED: The Kremlin Is Worried NATO Will Go After Putin’s Soft Underbelly)
President Trump stated, “We’re very, very unhappy with them, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in about 50 days.” He also noted to reporters that Congress wants 500 percent tariffs.
The president also stated that secondary sanctions would be placed on countries such as India or China, should they support Russia’s invasion beyond the allotted 50-day timeline. The two countries have supported Russia’s war by proxy, importing a combined 85 percent of Russian oil exports.
These secondary tariffs would target U.S. imports and exports to countries that may help Russia. This would ensure the application of pressure on Putin, since the U.S. already imports very few goods from Russia.
If Trump follows through with these additional tariffs, Russia will be hit where it hurts: in oil and natural gas exports. Trump’s ultimatum will force countries importing Russian oil to choose between their natural gas supply and the American market.
President Trump’s increased pressure on Putin indicates his desire to end the war and promote peace globally. Domestically, the proposed sanctions have exposed one of the Left’s most common attacks against Trump over nearly a decade: that he is Putin’s Puppet.
Trump has been steadily increasing U.S. pressure on Putin following the Russian president’s unwillingness to negotiate on Ukraine. President Trump stated during a televised Cabinet meeting that “We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” adding that “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Many on the left have misconstrued Trump’s desire for good relations and global peace as buddying up to Putin and other dictators. After all, it was former President Joe Biden who implied that he would not respond to a “minor incursion” by Russia during a January 2022 press conference.
Trump’s signaling escalated tariffs on Russia and countries that support its invasion, coupled with his rearmament of Ukraine, completely dispel the notion that Donald Trump is now, or ever was, the puppet of Russia.
Though he has been criticized for supposed deferral to Putin, the U.S. is now poised to wage full-scale economic war with Russia. If Putin makes a deal within 50 days, the world will have Trump to thank for it. If Putin stonewalls and continues the invasion, Trump’s historically reconciliatory tone will be thrown out the door, hot on the heels of a favorite leftist narrative.
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