President Donald Trump has unveiled what he presents as a comprehensive plan to end the war in Ukraine, centered on a grand bargain: the U.S. will impose heavy sanctions on Russia if, and only if, NATO allies completely ban Russian oil and collectively impose massive tariffs on China. This ambitious strategy was outlined in a weekend post on his Truth Social site.
The core of the President’s plan is a call for absolute unity within NATO on the economic front. He expressed his willingness to sanction Moscow severely, but not before all allies cease their financial contributions to Russia’s energy sector. He criticized the “far less than 100%” commitment from the alliance, pointing to the continued oil trade as a primary weakness in the Western response to the invasion.
The second, and perhaps more dramatic, element of his proposal is to bring China into the equation. Trump advocated for NATO as a bloc to hit China with “50% to 100% tariffs” for its continued trade with Russia. This tactic aims to sever the economic lifeline that has helped Moscow withstand existing sanctions, with the promise that these tariffs would be removed once peace is achieved.
This high-stakes proposal comes amid rising military tensions, notably the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace. Trump’s focus, however, remains squarely on economic warfare. He confidently asserted that his plan would lead to a swift end to the conflict and save “all of those lives,” positioning his strategy as the definitive solution to a “deadly, but ridiculous war.”