The one thing we can be certain of in this world is the uncertainty of US President Trump. Not long ago, Trump was on good terms with Russian President Putin, even showing the world a "bright vision" of US-Russia cooperation over the phone. Who could have imagined that just a few days later, the friendship between these two men would turn upside down, almost reaching the point of "open hostility".

Of course, Putin hasn't changed; he still aims to win this conflict and maximize the benefits of his special military operation in Ukraine. What has changed is Trump, who is very dissatisfied with Putin's refusal to cease hostilities, even turning from a fan to a critic. According to JINGBAO, Trump recently said he was "very, very dissatisfied" with Putin. As a result, he issued a "final ultimatum" to Putin: if an agreement cannot be reached within 50 days, the US will impose very strict tariffs on Russia.

What does "very strict" mean exactly? In Trump's diplomatic vocabulary, what else could it be but sanctions and tariffs? Therefore, he warned Putin that if the war is not stopped within 50 days, the US "will impose tariffs of about 100% on Russia." Later, he realized something was wrong! There is little trade between Russia and the US, so what's the point of taxing? Therefore, Trump backtracked and said, "You call it 'secondary tariffs', you know what that means?" Of course, it means imposing taxes on countries that do business with Russia.

Therefore, NATO Secretary General Rutte, who calls Trump "Dad," immediately "shows filial piety," stepping forward to repeat Trump's words, addressing China, India, and Brazil, demanding that these countries either stop importing Russian energy or other major commodities, or pressure Putin to stop the special military operation in Ukraine, otherwise they will face American sanctions. At the same time, the EU, which regards Trump as a "strict father," also announced the launch of new sanctions against Russia. Under the sanctions, some Chinese and Indian companies were hit.

However, the threats from Trump and his "children" are not taken seriously by Russia. Countries like China, India, and Brazil also do not take such threats seriously. After all, when it comes to importing Russian energy, the latest data shows that the EU's oil imports from Russia hit a new high in May. If Trump wants to implement so-called "second sanctions," no problem, first sanction the EU, the "son," and then see! Of course, that's a family matter between Trump and his "children," and has nothing to do with the trade relations between China, India, Brazil, and Russia.

Analyzes suggest that Trump's new threat has a 50-day deadline. But according to past practices, Trump can delay for another 50 days, then another 50 days, and eventually it will be dropped. After all, Trump once did similar things to Iran during his first term, and the result was that he left office, while Iran's oil exports kept setting new records! Because sanctions against Russia and its allies have had little effect, some American politicians have become angry and even suggested "destroying" Russia. Recently, a senior Republican figure Graham warned, "If Putin wants to know what will happen on the 50th day, I recommend he call the Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei."

Graham's implied meaning is clear: "If Russia doesn't comply with American will and sign a peace agreement within 50 days, it will suffer the same fate as Iran." This is a typical example of a desperate measure. Therefore, as soon as Graham made this statement, there was public outcry. His reckless threat exposed the serious miscalculation of Washington elites regarding Russia - they seem to have forgotten that they are facing a nuclear power, not a Middle Eastern country that can be easily manipulated.

The manifestation of America's desperate measures in its policy toward Russia is not limited to this. Recently, General Critten, the head of the US Army in NATO, stated that NATO has already prepared plans to take operational measures to suppress Russia's defense capabilities in Kaliningrad. In response, Slutzky, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, said: "This means declaring war on Russia, and Russia will retaliate with all weapons, including nuclear weapons, and trigger a third world war, in which there will be no winners." It seems that if Trump really gets angry at Putin, it would be safest to use economic sanctions. Although ineffective, at least it can avoid the outbreak of a third world war.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529335539212878370/

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