Trump Praises Putin Hours After Threatening Russia With Sanctions: ‘I Think He’s Gonna Be More Generous Than He Has to Be’
President Donald Trump praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Friday, just hours after he threatened to slap Russia with “large scale” sanctions and tariffs.
On Friday morning, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!”
The threat was particularly notable given the fact that the president has reserved most of his criticism over the war between Russia and Ukraine for the latter and its democratically elected leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky.
By the afternoon, though, he had reverted to form.
After being asked why he thought no “other European countries are offering a peace deal,” Trump called it “a very good question” and mused that “sometimes questions aren’t answerable.”
He continued:
They’re in a very unusual position. They don’t know how to end the war. I think I do know how to end the war. Despite the Russia, Russia, and Russia hoax, I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. And, you know, he wants to end the war, he wants to end it. And I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be. And that’s pretty good. That means a lot of good things, because frankly, you could have made a great deal if — if this war never started, you could have made a great deal. I don’t know that anything would have had to be given up.
This was not a war that was going to start, Brian [Glenn]. And it didn’t start for four years, then, you know, somebody said, “Well, how do we know that?” Well, for four years it didn’t. I used to speak to Vladimir about it. I used to speak to him about it at length. It was the apple of his eye, but there was no way he was going in. And he knew, you know, there were going to be consequences.
But it did start. I mean, think of, think of what happened. Inflation, you have the war with Ukraine and Russia — that wouldn’t have happened. October 7th would have never happened. Israel, they — no money, Iran had no money. Iran was stone cold broke, and now they have a lot of money. But that’s going to be the next thing you’ll be talking about, is Iran. What’s going to happen with Iran? And there’ll be some interesting days ahead. That’s all I can tell you. You know, we’re down to final strokes with Iran.
Watch above via Fox News.
