Trump’s 50-day Russian sanctions pause will cost – Latest News
President Donald Trump likes to strike offers, and he’s prepared to provide adversaries second and even third possibilities to succeed in them.
But he himself says he thought he had a deal with Vladimir Putin to halt the preventing in Ukraine “four times” already.
So why give the Russian strongman yet one more probability, this one to final 50 days?
That’s simply 50 days of extra bloodshed.
Unfortunately, that’s simply what Trump did when he threatened Tuesday to impose robust new sanctions on Russia if Putin refused to conform to a cease-fire within 50 days.
Predictably, Moscow learn that as timidity: “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences,” scoffed Dmitry Medvedev, a prime Russian official and former president, in a tweet.
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“Russia didn’t care.”
Indeed, within hours of Trump’s risk, Moscow launched more large assaults on Ukraine — together with, notably, on civilian websites, like a purchasing middle and power infrastructure.
That was a clear center finger from Putin to Trump; Vlad couldn’t be any clearer that he isn’t going to bend.
Not now.
Not in 50 days.
“Putin does not want a conclusion,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky advised The Post.
“He’s just not ready to compromise.”
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Bingo.
Yet, satirically, the 50-day grace period offers Russia an incentive to ratchet up the killing and seize as a lot of Ukraine as attainable earlier than the deadline.
Meanwhile, many — on either side — will die during these seven weeks, for no good motive, earlier than Russia feels any contemporary ache.
And make no mistake: Trump’s sanctions could make a distinction.
They embrace a 100% tariff on Russian exports (which aren’t a lot) plus a 100% “secondary tariff” on international locations that commerce with Russia.
Congress desires to spice up that secondary tariff — focusing on principally China — to 500%.
China wants Russian oil, and Russia wants Chinese money.
But China will have to decide on between persevering with to bankroll Moscow, watching gross sales to America plummet because of tariff-fueled larger costs or absorbing the hefty new cost itself.
Meanwhile, any drop in Russian export gross sales would additional weaken Putin’s already shaky economic system.
After years of Putin shrugging off the West’s sanctions, it’s time to toughen them up.
As Zelensky put it, Putin “needs to feel this.”
But there’s little logic in ready.
Yes, Trump sees himself as a dealmaker and a peace lover; he’d relatively strike an settlement than punish anybody.
But the 50-day pause is like telling a bully you’re going to hit him back . . . in two months.
Don’t wait any longer, Mr. President. Slap Russia with sanctions now.
