Russian officials and state media appeared dismissive of Donald Trump’s threat to impose major economic sanctions on Russia unless it ends its war in Ukraine within 50 days, while President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly respond to the statement.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the U.S. president said Washington would impose “very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100%,” noting that he was "very, very unhappy" with Putin for not doing more to seek peace.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that “the statement by the U.S. president is a serious one.”
“We certainly need time to analyze what was said in Washington, and if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will comment on it,” Peskov said.
“One thing is clear for now: it seems that decisions made in Washington, in NATO countries and directly in Brussels are not being seen by the Ukrainian side as a signal for peace, but rather as a signal to continue the war,” Peskov said, reiterating that Russia is “ready” for peace talks.
Commenting on Trump’s remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow prefers diplomacy over confrontation but added that “any attempts to make demands, especially in the form of ultimatums, are unacceptable to us.”
Former President Dmitry Medvedev mocked Trump’s warning in a post on X, calling it a “theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin.”
“The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care,” Medvedev said.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the lower-house State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump was trying to strike a balance between the Western “party of war” and more moderate forces, without slipping into direct confrontation with the Kremlin.
“If Trump truly wants progress on a settlement in Ukraine, he should show his “fist” to the Zelensky regime — not threaten Russia with secondary sanctions. Russia’s leadership has repeatedly stated that it is ready to end the conflict, all of Moscow’s proposals remain on the negotiating table,” Slutsky said.
Senator Natalia Nikonorova, a member of the upper-house Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump was “maneuvering.”
“By using vague wording in terms of both timing and meaning, he is leaving himself various exit strategies for the future. The world has not seen any radical actions from him, despite what was previously announced in the media,” she said.
Some Russian state media gave cautious coverage of Trump’s threats in their news bulletins.
During the 9 a.m. morning news on Tuesday, state-run Channel One did not mention Trump’s tariff threats in its roundup of the top headlines, only covering the additional U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine also announced by Trump on Monday.
On the state-run broadcaster Rossia 24, Deputy Federation Council Speaker Konstantin Kosachev offered a mixed assessment of Trump’s statements, noting that they “could have been much worse — or much better.”
He pointed out that while the U.S. president did not announce the supply of offensive weapons to Kyiv, he also failed to signal any intention to push Ukraine toward negotiations.
Russia's top trading partner last year was China, accounting for about 34%, followed distantly by India, Turkey and Belarus, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service.
Trump and Rutte also unveiled a deal under which the NATO military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the United States — including Patriot anti-missile batteries — and send them to Ukraine.
AFP contributed reporting.
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