Trump's card to force Russia to sign peace deal with Ukraine

(Dan Tri) - US President Donald Trump said that he has influence over Russia, but currently does not want to use it.

US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP).

Responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a 30-day ceasefire proposal in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said it was a "very promising, but incomplete" statement.

"I would love to see him or talk to him, but we have to get it done quickly," Mr. Trump said.

He insisted he had “influence” with Russia, but did not want to talk about it because “we are talking to him and based on the statements he made today, they were quite positive”.

"I hope Russia will make a deal as well... I believe that if we have a peace treaty, a ceasefire treaty, that will lead to peace, that will be real," President Trump stressed.

He said special envoy Steve Witkoff had had serious discussions with Russia about ending the conflict in Ukraine.

"A lot of the details of the final agreement have actually been worked out. Now we'll see if Russia is on board, otherwise it would be very disappointing for the world ," he said.

Earlier, he warned that Russia would face dire consequences if it rejected the ceasefire proposal.

"There are steps you can take that are not going to be financially pleasant. I could do things that would cause Russia great financial trouble, even devastating. But I don't want to do that, because I want peace," the White House owner emphasized.

However, Newsweek quoted analysts as saying that Mr. Trump does not have many options to put pressure on Russia.

The most viable option Mr Trump could use is to further tighten Russia's oil and gas exports.

“If he wants to achieve a quicker resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, he has no choice but to target Russian energy exports. That’s the only thing left,” said Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

On the other hand, Ms. Kilcrease said, the Trump administration may be hesitant to take a “comprehensive approach to energy-related sanctions on Russia, because that would cause more trouble” at a time of growing economic uncertainty at home following his trade policies.

Trump’s domestic energy agenda also makes it difficult for him to target Russia’s economic heartland. He has blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for high energy prices and pledged to cut costs and cool inflation.

A spike in US gasoline prices due to tougher energy sanctions on Russia could alienate the Trump administration with voters, analysts say.

"President Trump promised to cut gas prices in half, he needs to cooperate with Russia on energy. So they will be cautious about sanctions on Russian oil and gas," said Mark Finley, an energy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute.

In 2022, the West targeted Russia's energy sector as part of a broader package of economic sanctions coordinated by the United States, the European Union and members of the G7.

The measures include a ban on Russian crude exports by sea and a price cap of $60 a barrel, aimed at curbing Moscow’s profits without completely cutting off supplies to countries that rely on Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producers.

Russia has found ways to evade sanctions, including relying on its so-called “dark fleet” to continue exporting oil by sea. It also exports natural gas to parts of Europe and has increased energy exports to China, India and other countries that are not part of the sanctions.

Russia’s oil and gas revenues rose 26% to $108 billion last year. According to a study by the Center for Clean Energy Research, the European Union will spend more on Russian oil and gas by 2024 than it does on financial aid to Ukraine.

The chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee Oleksandr Merezhko said that the US and its allies could take a number of coordinated steps, such as lowering the price ceiling on Russian crude oil, tightening the "dark fleet" and imposing secondary sanctions on companies and trading partners that continue to buy Russian energy.

Tightening sanctions on Russia’s energy sector would be a change of stance for Mr. Trump, who had previously considered easing some sanctions on Moscow. Given the current situation, according to analysts, Mr. Trump is really in a dilemma.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/la-bai-ong-trump-co-the-dung-de-buoc-nga-ky-thoa-thuan-hoa-binh-voi-ukraine-20250314084019324.htm