Ukraine: Trump's threat of sanctions sends a'strong message' to Russia

Ukraine has praised U.S. president Donald Trump for his threat to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia if they refuse to reach a settlement to end the conflict in Ukraine. They said that the comment was a "strong message".

Trump, who repeatedly stated that he wanted to stop the fighting in Ukraine, without specifying how, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop this absurd war" and warned to impose punitive actions if a deal was not reached.

"We really appreciate such strong messages from Trump, and we think that he'll be the winner." And we think that we have a new chance to get a new dynamic in our diplomatic efforts to end the war," Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, speaking in English, said at a panel discussion in Davos.

Kyiv has urged its allies for years to impose stronger sanctions on Russia in order to increase the cost of war and discourage Moscow from committing any further aggression.

The Kremlin stated that Trump's threats were not new, but it closely followed "all nuances" of his rhetoric. It also said it was open to dialogue.

When asked about Trump's comments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded that Trump had frequently imposed sanctions on Russia during the first term of his presidency.

Trump's call to end the conflict as quickly as possible has sparked concerns in Kyiv, and among European allies, that a quick deal could play right into Russia's hand and force Ukraine to make major territorial and other compromises.

Kyiv has stressed the importance of an agreement that will produce a lasting and fair peace. (Reporting and editing by Tom Balmforth, Sharon Singleton, and Yuliia Dyesa)

(source: Reuters)