MOSCOW, Russia - US President Donald Trump will certainly impose sanctions on Russia, regardless of his relations with Moscow, a Russian lawmaker said on Thursday.
Trump, who returned to office on Monday, has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the “ridiculous war” with Ukraine, warning that he will impose high tariffs and more sanctions on Moscow if Putin fails to end the war.
“Russia will not act according to America's ultimatums because we have a bad experience, which our president always mentions, that it's possible to reach agreements with the West on any issue, but they will deceive as always,” Russian lawmaker Mikhail Delyagin told Rudaw on Thursday.
“Trump will advance America's energy independence. For this, he has already announced that he will begin opening frozen oil wells. Therefore, in my opinion, whatever happens with Trump relations, sanctions on our oil exports will be imposed in any case. For example, these talks can also be used as an excuse for that,” he added.
Before taking office, Trump had said that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2022, in a single day.
"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,” he said on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
"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',” he added.
Bogdan Bezpalko, a political expert and member of the Kremlin-affiliated Council for Interethnic Relations, told Rudaw on Thursday that the war in Ukraine cannot be stopped within a few months.
"With what tools will they pressure us? Economic sanctions? All possible sanctions have already been imposed, and still our economy's growth is 3.6%. Through military means? War with Russia is very dangerous now, as it could lead to World War III, which Trump wants to keep America away from,” said the expert.
“What remains is arming Ukraine, which is also very difficult now, as all arsenals of Europe and America have been emptied. Therefore, in my opinion, stopping the war within 3 months is not possible. But if the Russian army encounters another defensive wall, then perhaps ground for an agreement between Russia and America might emerge,” he added.
