Trump slams Europe for funding Russia, threatens tariffs to end Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump has criticised European nations and China for continuing to purchase Russian energy, arguing that such trade is prolonging the war in Ukraine.

In his address at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, Trump threatened to impose steep economic penalties on Russia if President Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate an end to the war, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

“They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” Trump said, taking aim at countries that have maintained energy ties with Moscow despite the ongoing conflict.

“A very strong round of powerful tariffs” would be introduced, he said, claiming such measures would “stop the bloodshed... very quickly.”

Despite insisting he could have prevented the war, Trump expressed frustration over not yet securing a peace deal, something he repeatedly promised to deliver swiftly.

“I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one,” Trump said.

The president reiterated his belief that the war should never have escalated into a prolonged conflict. 

“The Russia-Ukraine war should have been a ‘quick little skirmish,’” he said, adding that Russia should have prevailed “in a matter of days.”

He also repeated a familiar 2024 campaign talking point: that the war would not have happened at all if he had been in office from 2021 to 2025.

By Sabina Mammadli