President Donald Trump issued one of his strongest warnings to Russia, saying that the United States could take actions that would be “devastating for Russia” if Moscow refuses to agree on a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

But Trump said during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin that if needed, “there are things you can do that wouldn’t be pleasant in a financial sense,” and would be “very bad for Russia.”

“We could do things very bad for Russia. Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace,” he said.

When asked if he was prepared to pressure Vladimir Putin to accept a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, Trump responded affirmatively: “Yes, we can. But I hope we don’t have to.”

The US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire was accepted on 11 March by Ukrainian team during negotiations between American and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. The ceasefire would reportedly halt combat operations along the entire frontline, suspend long-range missile and drone strikes, and end operations in the Black Sea.

The White House announced that Steve Whitcoff, President Trump’s special representative, will travel to Moscow this week to discuss these proposals.

Russian servis of Radio Liberty reported afternoon on 13 March, citing the aviation service, that the plane of US Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff has landed in Moscow.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, if Russia does not agree to a deal, “we will know who is the impediment to peace”.

The Kremlin has not yet officially responded to the proposal. Russian state media cited earlier statements from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who said Russia “does not rule out” contacts with the United States in the coming days.

Putin has previously shown reluctance to agree to a ceasefire, with Russian troops advancing in Ukraine’s western Kursk Oblast. At his December press conference, the Russian president suggested that pausing combat would merely allow Ukraine to rearm and resupply its military.

Russian ultranationalists reacted negatively to the US-Ukraine 30-day ceasefire proposal, according to the ISW.  One Russian milblogger claimed accepting the ceasefire would be “pure betrayal and sabotage.” Another questioned why Russia would accept a ceasefire without achieving its war aims.

The Trump administration has several leverage points it could use against Russia, including diplomatic reintegration, sanctions relief, and military support for Ukraine.

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