E-Paper
Trump's tariff threat not working with Putin? US president 'has another card'
With eight wars on his list, Trump now has his eyes set on the Ukraine war - a war he claims would not have started had he been re-elected in 2020.
Eyeing adding a ninth war resolution to his list, US President Donald Trump on Sunday explained why he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unwilling to end the Ukraine war – despite Trump’s repeated threats, including tariffs, which he claims have helped resolve several global conflicts.
Speaking on CBS's 60 Minutes, the US president not only repeated how he managed to end eight international conflicts but also told why he chose to sanction Russia instead of playing his "Trump" card.
Also Read | Trump says US nuclear testing needed even with 'enough weapons to blow up world’
Trump plays tariff card
Since returning to the White House, the US president has branded himself as the "president of peace" and has been eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize for himself. As part of this bid, Trump claims to have solved at least eight international conflicts.
However, on Sunday, he spoke on just how he managed to end these wars. As per Trump, in 60 per cent of the cases, the US president resorted to tariff threats on countries which were engaged in a conflict or war.
"You know how I solved 'em? I said, in many cases, in 60% I said, "If you don't stop fighting, I'm putting tariffs on both of your countries and you're not going to be able to do business with the United States," said Trump.
As Trump continues to boast about his conflict resolution, the US president has confirmed the "bullying tactics" claimed by experts whenever the US intervened in a conflict.
Also Read | Trump warns of ‘consequences’ if China invades Taiwan: ‘You’ll find out…'
Trump eyes Ukraine ceasefire
Claiming to have solved eight conflicts (India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia, Israel-Hamas, Rwanda-Congo, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Egypt-Ethiopia, Serbia-Kosovo), Trump now has his eyes set on the Ukraine war - a war he claims would not have started had he been re-elected in 2020.
Starting out in 2022, the war in Ukraine continues to rage and has become the bloodiest war Europe has seen since the Second World War.
Despite his multiple threats, warnings and a summit in Alaska with Putin, Trump has yet to bring a ceasefire for Kyiv. And since a tariff threat won't work for Russia, the US president had to play another card - Sanctions.
Trump asked why tariff threat isn't working with Putin
Speaking to CBS, Trump said he thinks his 'new card' is working with Putin. Trump was asked by the interviewer why the tariff threat isn't working with Russian President Putin if it helped solve eight conflicts.
"I think. I did different with him because we don't do very much business with Russia, for one thing, you know? He's not, like, somebody that buys a lot from us because of— foolishness. And I think he'd like to be. I think he wants to come in and he wants to trade with us, and he wants to make a lotta money for Russia, and I think that's great," he said.
In October, Trump imposed sanctions on oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, hitting Russia's oil and energy industry.
After the announcement from the Treasury Department, the president hoped Putin "will become reasonable" and bring a peace deal for Ukraine to the table.
Along with sanctions, Trump has also moved to target Russia's trading partners, especially with India and China.
While all of the BRICS bloc is under Trump's scanner, India, has taken the brunt of the penalisation with its 50 percent tariffs.
Trump has increased the tariffs on India by 25 percent due to New Delhi's Russian oil purchases. As Trump continues to target Russia's oil industry, he also announced that India and China will be cutting back on Russian oil purchases.
Trump also claimed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi assured that India will be cutting back on its oil trade with Russia, a call New Delhi has contested.
