The mainstream media headlines had it that Trump was saying to Putin over the Ukrainian war: end it or we will end you. The exact line was, we can do it the easy way or the hard way. That line of talk is usually made when someone is itching to do the hard way in a direct fight. But while the war-hungry media would love to see World War III erupt, Trump did qualify his statement saying that a "deal" needs to be done, and that the easy way is always better than the hard way. A deal will involve negotiation and horse trading, giving Russia a chance to put its point of view and secure some of its interests in a compromise. What is saved are both Russian and Ukrainian lives, as Trump pointed out. So, Trump is right, contrary to the European powers, that a deal is the only way to go as more than enough people have died.
"President Trump warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine quickly, or else face "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions."
Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to double-down on his criticisms of Putin and Russia's hurting economy, warning Moscow that things would only get worse if the war doesn't end soon.
"Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE," Trump urged.
"If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I 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 various other participating countries," he wrote.
"Let's get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way — and the easy way is always better," he added. "It's time to "MAKE A DEAL." NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!"
The returning president vowed to end the war, which has been raging for nearly three years, within the first days of his administration.
He's said he would be willing to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to work out a deal.
"I'm not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin — and this despite the Radical Left's Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process," Trump added in his post.
The post comes a day after Trump criticized Putin for continuing the war effort despite reports that more than 700,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in the fighting, which has also caused Russia's economy to plummet with inflation edging towards 10%.
"He can't be thrilled," Trump said. "He's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out … it's not making him look very good."
"I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal," he added.
Trump noted that despite Moscow's alleged silence, Zelensky was open to making a deal to end the war so long as it favored Ukraine.
Kyiv has previously stated that it would accept a diplomatic end to the war so-long as it opened a pathway for Ukraine to join NATO, which could effectively end Russia's repeated annexation of its territories.
Moscow, however, has said Kyiv's admission into NATO is a non-starter, which Trump has previously sympathized with.
In a Tuesday meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin suggested he was open to talks with Trump on the future of the war, agreeing that a diplomatic end was the best solution so long as Russia's needs were met.
"We hear the statements from Trump and members of his team about their desire to restore direct contact with Russia, which were halted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration," Putin said during Trump's inauguration.
"We also hear his statements about the need to do everything to prevent World War III. We certainly welcome such an approach and congratulate the U.S. president-elect on taking office," he added."