Russia will have to determine what U.S. President Donald Trump means by "deal" before entering into negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Jan. 22.
Polyanskiy's remarks come shortly after Trump threatened to impose economic penalties on Russia if the country does not "make a deal" to end the war.
"If a deal is not reached, I will have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and other participating countries," he posted on his social media platform Truth Social earlier on Jan. 22.
"We can do it the easy way or the hard way."
In response, Polyanskiy said Moscow would have to determine what Trump's aims are before it enters any agreements.
"It's not merely the question of ending the war," Polyanskiy told Reuters.
"It's first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of Ukrainian crisis. So we have to see what does the 'deal' mean in President Trump's understanding."
Trump has the opportunity to end Washington's current "malicious policy" against Russia, he added.
Trump has yet to present a detailed plan for peace in Ukraine, despite campaigning on promises to put a swift end to the conflict. While he frequently references his good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his comments on Moscow in recent days have taken a somewhat harder line.
When asked on Jan. 21 if he would impose additional sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate, Trump replied, "Sounds likely." His team is reportedly devising a sanctions strategy to pressure Russia to the negotiating table.
Russia has thus far dismissed any reported peace proposals from the Trump administration and maintained its ambitions to fully occupy four Ukrainian regions —Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Trump has said that arrangements for a face-to-face meeting with Putin are currently underway.
(Updated: )
