‘Settle now’: Trump threatens sanctions on Russia if war in Ukraine is not ended

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia and its allies if a deal is not made soon to end the war in Ukraine.

“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better,” he wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “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 added.

Trump also wrote that he “always had a very good relationship with President Putin” and that he is doing him “a very big FAVOR.” Following Trump’s inauguration, Putin has signalled willingness for dialogue, and indicated the two leaders would speak “in the near future.”

The post comes after Trump failed to fulfil his campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. Recent reports have suggested his administration now expects it to take several months to broker a deal.