- President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine has to end or else he’ll levy taxes, tariffs, and sanctions. On Thursday, he spoke on the Russia-Ukraine war (among other topics) virtually at the World Economic Forum at Davos, saying oil prices played a factor in the conflict dragging on.
President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared virtually at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the corporate elite gather once a year. His speech echoed his remarks on Inauguration Day and listed all the executive orders he has signed so far. However, he did touch on the war in Ukraine that will soon reach its three-year mark.
Trump started talking about the war after mentioning Saudi Arabia, OPEC, and oil prices. “If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” Trump said. “Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue. You got to bring down the oil price. You could end that war.” Later, he said that “they’re very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what’s taking place, millions of lives are being lost.”
Trump said his administration is working to secure a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, one that is hopefully underway. “That is an absolute killing field,” he said. “Millions of soldiers are being killed. Nobody’s seen anything like it since World War II.”
Later when he was accepting questions, Trump said he wanted to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the war. He again referenced the mass deaths and carnage he had seen in photos—dismissing the notion that his concern was purely economic in nature. But just one day earlier, his tone was different. Trump posted the following on Truth Social:
“I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. 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. Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! 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!!!”
It isn’t a surprise to hear Trump threaten Russia with tariffs; he signaled he would on the campaign trail, and has since his victory. Nevertheless, NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte was satisfied with Trump’s stance. “I was very, very happy with the position of Trump to put more sanctions on Russia. We know that the Russian economy is doing terribly bad[ly], and the sanctions will help,” he told CNBC at Davos before the president’s appearance. On Thursday, also before Trump took Davos, Reuters reported that Putin is increasingly concerned about Russia’s economy as the war drags on, citing five people familiar with the matter.