Within the last week, President Trump has implemented new sanctions and restrictions on Russia after a series of threats regarding a refusal of a 30-day ceasefire agreement to end the war on Ukraine. At the beginning of the week, Trump’s threats stemmed from the global scrutiny following his interaction with Ukrainian president Zelensky, and the pause of all military aid to Ukraine earlier this month.

Russian president Putin, unfazed by Trump’s threat to further sanction on Russia,  launched an attack on Thursday targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing large amounts of damage and casualties. By Friday, Trump took to social media and stated, “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.” Despite this, Russia refused to back down and continued to amplify attacks on Ukraine, ultimately prompting Trump to place stricter restrictions on pre-existing sanctions on Russian oil, gas, and banking sectors on March 13th.

These pre-existing sanctions, which have existed since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War and were created by the Biden Administration, imposed thousands of tariffs on Russian companies, goods, and natural resources. The Biden Administration attempted to weaken Russia’s economy in order to aid Ukraine’s ability to combat the Russian invasion, as well as mitigate worries about an upward spike in U.S energy prices. The impact of these tariffs was minimal and did not effectively address the needs of both nations. This time, these same sanctions will be increased in an effort to further restrict access to American banking systems, making it increasingly difficult to purchase Russian oil. However, the unproductive nature of these tariffs in the past and an exemption from the Treasury Department that allows approved energy transactions with sanctioned Russian banks to continue make it unclear whether these sanctions will effectively push Russia toward a ceasefire agreement.

Despite this, Scott Bessent, U.S. secretary of the treasury, believes in their effectiveness, stating to the Associated Press, “sanctions will be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact… They will be carefully monitored to ensure that they are achieving specific objectives.” On the other hand, many reporters like Frank Gardner are suspicious and warn that “so far, Vladimir Putin has played a clever hand… watching the transatlantic alliance come apart at the seams. Compared to that gain, the threat of US tariffs is unlikely to bother him unduly” (BBC). Given that Russia was already the most sanctioned nation on the planet prior to these stricter measures, it is unlikely that it will cave in. In addition to this, the U.S. economy is at risk of worsening, given the nature of the sanctions Trump put on other nations like Canada and Mexico.  

Therefore, a new solution to this ongoing war is essential, and Russia’s continuous pursuit of Ukraine must be put to a stop before more lives become endangered, as it does not seem that these new restrictions will increase the likelihood of a ceasefire.