President Donald Trump still holds leverage for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, with severe sanctions on Russia and countries that do business with it set to begin next week if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire, Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax on Thursday.
Russia attacked Kyiv overnight with a volley of missiles and drones, killing eight people and wounding 82 others. Trump reportedly said Tuesday in Scotland that the U.S. would impose tariffs, sanctions and secondary sanctions on Russia "10 days from today" (Aug. 8) if Moscow showed no progress toward ending the war. He also supports bipartisan legislation in Congress that would impose 500% tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, or other exports.
"President Trump obviously understands leverage better than anyone," Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, told "American Agenda." "And I think him announcing that on Aug. 8 without a ceasefire that he's going to implement, really I would call devastating tariffs and sanctions on Russia. … The bottom line is, Putin needs to sell his oil.
"He's selling it to China. He's selling it to India. He's selling to Brazil. And those countries are now going to be subject to some pretty significant impact for them doing business with Russia, and Russia is not going to have any friends. They're not going to have any trading partners. And their ability to fund this war will end.
"So, at the end of the day, what we need is a ceasefire and that can only be accomplished through diplomacy and through negotiation. Both sides are going to have to come to the table. Both sides are going to have to get a deal that is most likely not exactly their perfect scenario, but at the same time, the killing needs to end."
Whitaker said he's not concerned that severe sanctions against Russia and countries that do business with it, such as China, would drive the two U.S. adversaries closer.
"We hold all the cards as the United States of America," Whitaker said. "And most importantly, Donald Trump holds all the cards. This isn't the last option that he has. If China and Russia want to join the world that follows the rules, does not invade other countries, does not kill and wreak havoc, then they're more than welcome to.
"But this needs to end and China needs to quit helping Russia continue this war, and Russia needs to quit prosecuting this war. They need to come to the table, and it needs to end.
"It's been going over for three years, and nothing has changed on the battlefield. And hundreds of soldiers every single day are dying. … President Trump again is going to, as he announced, implement these secondary sanctions on Aug. 8 if we don't have a ceasefire, but it's not what he's limited to. President Trump continues to have options available to him, and he'll use those if he deems necessary."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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