A tariff threat floated at a Florida rally
Speaking at a campaign rally in Florida, President Donald Trump said the United States could place 200% tariffs on both Ukraine and Russia as a way of forcing an end to their war. He suggested the step could be taken right away, according to a report by Ukrinform, and framed it as an extension of a tactic he says he has used before.[S1][S2]
Trump presented the idea as something of an afterthought, remarking that he had not previously considered applying it to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Ukrainian Pravda also carried the proposal in its coverage, describing the US president as weighing the 200% tariff option against both countries.[S1][S2]
Doubts about whether the pressure would bite
Even as he raised the possibility, Trump cast doubt on whether it would achieve its aim. He noted that the United States does not buy enough goods from the two countries for such a levy to carry real weight, suggesting the mechanism that he says worked elsewhere might not translate to this war.[S1]
The president has repeatedly credited his tariff policy with ending eight wars, claiming that trade restrictions were decisive in five of them. He recounted one past episode in which, by his account, a 200% tariff threat on two unnamed fighting countries brought the hostilities to a halt, though he did not identify which nations he meant.[S1]
Trump has made a similar claim about securing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan by warning of 200% tariffs on goods from both if the fighting continued. India has rejected the idea that Washington brokered the agreement, maintaining that the truce was worked out directly by the two countries' military leadership.[S1]
