Claim
Trump said the United States could impose 200 percent tariffs on both Ukraine and Russia to pressure them toward ending the war
Attributed to US President Donald Trump
Evidence
Searches found several Ukrainian outlets reporting that Trump floated 200% tariffs on Ukraine and Russia: Ukrainska Pravda, Kyiv Post, Ukrinform and Censor.net. They quote him saying tariff threats helped end five wars. In the quote, he said 'We should probably immediately do it with Ukraine and Russia. Never thought of it.' Ukrainska Pravda also reported that he contradicted himself, acknowledging that the two countries' limited imports to the US could make tariffs ineffective. All the outlets trace the quote to a social media aggregator, Clash Report. I did not find a transcript or video from a primary source. Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat and EUvsDisinfo had no fact-check on this claim that I could find.
Supporting sources
Assessment
Several independent outlets report the same quote, which fits the claim as a floated idea and not a firm policy. Confirmation stops short of CONFIRMED because the quote traces back to a social media aggregator and I found no primary transcript or wire-service report.
Confidence
Some independent corroboration was found, but it isn't yet conclusive.
Timeline
Oct 25, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC
LikelyInitial assessment.
First observed Oct 25, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC · Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC