Russia calls on Trump to stop issuing threats for restoration of bilateral ties

Threats voiced by US President Donald Trump toward Russia do not contribute to normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke about the current state of US-Russian relations during a press briefing on July 30, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

“No threats—regardless of who makes them—can have a constructive impact on bilateral relations,” Zakharova stated. “This is not just a political observation, but a fundamental principle. If the goal is to restore dialogue and cooperation, then threats must be abandoned as outdated and counterproductive.”

Zakharova emphasized that the Kremlin had already addressed Trump’s recent comments. “Our presidential administration has acknowledged the statements made by Washington,” she said, adding that Russia is closely following developments.

When asked whether the US had informed Russia through diplomatic channels about its latest position or intentions, Zakharova responded, “I don’t have any information on that. I will make inquiries, but at the moment, I am not aware of any such communication.”

Commenting on the potential for additional secondary sanctions, Zakharova noted that Russia and its partners have already been subjected to an “unprecedented number” of sanctions from the West. These measures, she said, have now become almost routine. “The West seems to be trapped in a sanctions cycle. They keep repeating the same playbook, and apparently, they’ve run out of new tools,” she remarked.

While acknowledging that sanctions cannot be entirely ignored—given their impact on the global economic system—Zakharova said that Russia has developed ways to adapt. “We know how to respond to sanctions and, in some cases, even turn them to our advantage,” she added.

He remarks come days after President Trump issued a warning that the US would impose tariffs of up to 100% on Russia and its trading partners if an agreement on resolving the war in Ukraine was not reached within 50 days. However, on July 28, Trump expressed his renewed frustration over what he described as Russia’s lack of progress and announced that he would shorten the deadline from 50 days to just 10–12 days, signaling a more aggressive stance.

By Nazrin Sadigova