JAKARTA - Russia does not care about US President Donald Trump's theatrical ultimatum' on imposing sanctions on Russian export buyers unless Moscow agrees to a peace agreement in Ukraine.
Trump, who sits alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Room, on Monday, announced a new weapon for Ukraine and threatened a secondary tariff of 100% against Russian export buyers, most of whom were crude oil.
The US president also expressed his frustration at Vladimir Putin, saying he did not want to call the Russian leader "a killer, but he is a formidable person", apparently referring to former US President Joe Biden who called Putin "a killer" in an interview in 2021.
"Trump issued a dramatic ultimatum to the Kremlin," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a post on X.
"The world is moving, anticipating the consequences. Europe is aggressively disappointed. Russia doesn't care," he continued.
The Kremlin has so far not commented on Trump's statement, but said the United States continues to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
In Moscow, state television broadcasts began with reports of the progress of Russian troops in Ukraine, controlled by Russian troops nearly a fifth, and attacks on Russia by Ukrainian drones that injured 18 people.
State television reports on Trump's remarks focused on the time the Patriot missile system needed to arrive in Ukraine and the US domestic concern that the conflict could escalate, then turn to a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Kommersant, one of Russia's most respected newspapers, cited William total Caesar's "Julius Caesar" on its front page title to point out betrayal: "Et tu, Trump - the main peacekeeper of the Ukraine conflict joins the 'war party'".
Trump told the BBC he was "not finished" with Putin and Trump thought the Ukraine peace deal was in sight.
Meanwhile, Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to make peace but with his own conditions. Putin considered that there was no point in considering the ceasefire to what detail the peace would be.
European countries and Ukrainian officials say they are not convinced Putin is serious about peace and have urged Trump to stop his efforts to improve relations with the Kremlin.
In Washington, a White House official said Trump's intention was to impose a "100% pariff on Russia" and secondary sanctions on other countries buying oil from Russia if a peace agreement is not reached within 50 days.
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Eight-five of the 100 US senators participated in sponsoring a bill that would give Trump the authority to charge 500% of any country that helps Russia, but Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have been awaiting his approval for a vote.
China, India, and Turkey are the largest crude oil buyers from Russia, the world's second-largest exporter of oil after Saudi Arabia.
It is not yet clear how these countries will react if they face secondary sanctions for purchasing Russian oil.
Meanwhile, Russia exports about 5 million barrels of oil per day.
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