Donald Trump, during a Tuesday cabinet meeting at the White House, warned that if Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy fail to meet and stop the war in Ukraine, he is ready to start what he called “an economic war.”
“It will not be a world war, but it’ll be an economic war, and an economic war is going to be bad. It’s going to be bad for Russia, and I don’t want that,” he said.
Trump had previously promised to end the war on his first day in office. But even after taking the reins again, his efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough.
Putin and Zelenskiy meeting still not scheduled after summit
Trump believed his meeting with Putin in Anchorage on August 15 would pave the way for talks between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
That meeting, the first direct exchange between the two since the war began over three years ago, led the White House to believe Putin had agreed to meet Zelenskiy. Officials even said planning had started. But more than a week later, no date had been confirmed.
The Kremlin never publicly accepted the terms, and no summit has been announced. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking with NBC on Friday, said Putin was willing to meet Zelenskiy only when a proper agenda was finalized.
“This agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said, pushing back on the idea that talks were imminent. Trump responded to those comments directly during his Tuesday briefing, saying, “Everybody’s posturing,” and that both leaders were hesitating instead of moving forward.
On August 18, Trump held a follow-up call with Putin to propose a formal peace summit, shortly after he met at the White House with Zelenskiy and a group of European leaders. That earlier meeting focused on establishing long-term security guarantees aimed at stopping future Russian aggression.
Zelenskiy, for his part, stated publicly on August 23 that the guarantees were nearly finalized. “In the coming days,” he said, he expected to announce the full terms, with U.S. and European support.
Trump doubles tariffs as warning to nations buying Russian crude
Trump hasn’t limited his warnings to just Russia. He’s already moved forward with economic punishment by doubling tariffs to 50% on Indian imports, targeting India’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
He’s also put pressure on other countries still buying crude from Russia, saying they’re helping fund the war. So far, he hasn’t taken additional steps against China or others, but those warnings remain in place.
Despite keeping lines open with Moscow, Trump has grown frustrated that Russian attacks in Ukraine have resumed quickly after calls with Putin. “Zelenskiy’s not exactly innocent either,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Trump reminded reporters that he had previously criticized the Ukrainian president for not showing enough appreciation for U.S. support. He once again described Zelenskiy as part of the problem, not just a victim of Russian aggression.
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