In a direct and urgent message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, former U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that the war in Ukraine be brought to an immediate end or face severe economic consequences.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to issue the warning, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and offering Russia an ultimatum: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way.”
Trump’s post highlighted the worsening situation, both in terms of human lives and economic strain. “Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump urged.
He warned that failure to resolve the conflict would result in “high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”
He also expressed confidence that the war, which has now stretched into its third year, would not have happened if he were still in office.
“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,” he wrote.
READ ALSO: Trump Takes Oath Without Bible, Becoming First in Over a Century to Do So
He called for an immediate negotiation to prevent further loss of life: “NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”
Trump, who has repeatedly suggested he could quickly end the war if reelected, said he would be willing to meet with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help broker a peace deal.
“Zelensky wants to make a deal. I don’t know if Putin does… He should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal,” Trump added.
In his post, Trump also reiterated his admiration for the Russian people and his past relationship with Putin, despite ongoing accusations of Russian interference in U.S. politics.
He pointed out Russia’s significant contribution to the Allied victory in World War II, stating, “Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process.”
Trump’s remarks came just a day after he criticized Putin for the continued suffering of the Russian people, noting that more than 700,000 Russians had been killed or wounded in the war.
He also pointed to Russia’s failing economy, with inflation nearing 10%, suggesting that the war has only worsened Putin’s standing both internationally and domestically.
