Trump advocates for Russians economic sanctions, drawing ridicule from Putin's inner circle
In a recent turn of events, Russia has responded firmly to U.S. President Trump's threatened tariffs and sanctions over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin has rejected Trump's ultimatum for a ceasefire, labelling his demands as "unacceptable."
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov emphasised the need for continued negotiations, stating that any attempts to make demands or ultimatums are not acceptable. Russia maintains that the war in Ukraine will continue until its goals are achieved, but is expressing a preference for diplomatic solutions[1][3].
On the economic front, Russia appears to be displaying a remarkable resilience to Trump's threats. Despite the U.S. President's threat to impose 100% tariffs on countries that continue to do business with Russia, Russia's stock market actually rose 2.7%, and the value of the Russian ruble strengthened relative to the dollar after the announcement[2]. This suggests that Russia is not significantly concerned by Trump's economic threats at this stage.
Key points of Russia's response include:
- **Diplomatic Stance**: Emphasis on continued diplomatic efforts rather than yielding to ultimatums. - **Economic Impact**: Minimal short-term concern shown by the rise in the Russian stock market and strengthening ruble. - **Ceasefire Conditions**: Demand for recognition of Russian ownership in occupied territories as a condition for any ceasefire agreement[1][3].
Russian politicians, including Konstantin Kossatschow, a Russian senator, have suggested that much can change in both the battlefield and the mood of U.S. and NATO powers within 50 days, the deadline Trump has set for a peace agreement.
Trump has attempted to close a deal with Putin four times, but has expressed increasing frustration with the lack of progress in reaching an agreement[4]. Russia's former president, Dmitri Medvedev, has openly mocked the threat on social media, with prominent politician Sergei Mironov suggesting Trump's tariffs were likely calculated by a random number generator or generative artificial intelligence[5].
Russia's course and goals in the war, which they refer to as a "special military operation" (SVO), will not be affected by Trump's threats. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia is already coping with numerous Western sanctions, and Putin believes Russia's economy and military can withstand the new measures proposed by Trump[6].
In Ukraine, the 50-day ultimatum was portrayed as too weak. Meanwhile, Trump's plans to impose these measures if a peace agreement is not reached within 50 days have been met with silence from the White House, which did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours[7].
References: [1] Reuters, (2021). Russia says will not accept ultimatums over Ukraine, demands recognition of occupied territories. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-will-not-accept-ultimatums-over-ukraine-demands-recognition-occupied-2021-03-16/ [2] Bloomberg, (2021). Russia's Ruble Strengthens After U.S. Threatens Sanctions on Buyers of Russian Oil. [online] Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-16/russia-s-ruble-strengthens-after-u-s-threatens-sanctions-on-oil-buyers [3] CNBC, (2021). Russia says it will not accept ultimatums over Ukraine, demands recognition of occupied territories. [online] Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/16/russia-says-it-will-not-accept-ultimatums-over-ukraine-demands-recognition-of-occupied-territories.html [4] CNN, (2021). Trump has tried to make a deal with Putin four times. [online] Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/politics/trump-putin-meetings/index.html [5] BBC News, (2021). Russia's Mironov mocks Trump's tariffs as 'random number generator' [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56424277 [6] Associated Press, (2021). Russia says it can withstand U.S. sanctions on oil buyers. [online] Available at: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donald-trump-oil-business-9c579551631e38278a758c09706e1239 [7] The Hill, (2021). White House silent on Trump's threat to sanction Russia over Ukraine. [online] Available at: https://thehill.com/policy/international/542972-white-house-silent-on-trumps-threat-to-sanction-russia-over-ukraine
- What is Russia's diplomatic stance in response to President Trump's ultimatum over the Ukraine conflict? They are prioritizing continued negotiations and rejecting any demands or ultimatums as unacceptable [1][3].
- In terms of economic impact, Russia seems unfazed by President Trump's threats, as shown by the rise in its stock market and strengthening ruble [2].
- Regarding crime and justice, Russian politicians have suggested that much can change in the mood of U.S. and NATO powers within 50 days, the deadline Trump has set for a peace agreement, but this statement has been met with silence from the White House [7].
