"If a deal is not reached, I will 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 other participating countries," President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Zelensky had been on a diplomatic charm offensive on Trump before the election; and it worked wonderfully–so far.
There is a video, but I can’t find it now, which was released before the 2024 US presidential election mentioning that Trump and Putin’s friendly relations had been overstated, because during Trump’s first presidency, him and Putin already have had some spat. I think that video analysis had been accurate thus far seeing as how Trump is trying to coerce Putin at the moment.
It’s more important to know the motivation why Trump probably wants to end the war in Ukraine quickly. There is a very good article explaining that he wants to pivot against China, and to address perceived American security vulnerabilities given China’s growing influence in Latin America as mentioned in the article. As laughable as Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico, there is actually some realpolitik sense into it. It is Trump’s attempt to flex on China vis-à-vis Latin America. Basically, he is reigniting the Monroe Doctrine for the 21st century.