Trump threatens Putin: If you refuse the ceasefire agreement, the United States will destroy the Russian economy

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to crash Russia's economy if Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a 30-day ceasefire to which Ukraine had agreed.

Trump said there would be "very serious" consequences if Russia refused to cease-fire, but insisted he did not believe it would come to that.

Earlier reports said Putin was unlikely to accept any deal that could slow his military's momentum on the battlefield.

Asked by reporters whether he would pressure Putin to make a deal, Trump said: "Yes. We can. But I hope that won't be necessary."

"There are things that might not be very pleasant from an economic perspective," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I could do something that would be very bad for Russia economically, devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want peace."

"As you know, I've always said Ukraine is probably the more difficult party to deal with," he said.

Trump has previously threatened to impose massive economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for its long-range bombing of Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian and U.S. officials finalized a temporary ceasefire during eight hours of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.

The White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials had discussed the plans by phone with their Russian counterparts and that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow this week for talks.

Russian President's Press Secretary Peskov said on the same day that Russia was waiting for the US to inform it of the details of the US-Ukraine talks the day before. He also stated that the possibility of a phone call between the presidents of the United States and Russia cannot be ruled out.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said at a press conference on Wednesday that Ukraine is willing to accept the US proposal for an immediate 30-day temporary ceasefire in order to show Ukraine's support for ending the conflict. He also said that he has no "trust" in Russia and that achieving real peace requires putting pressure on Russia.

He also said that Ukraine will not recognize that any territory occupied by Russia belongs to Russia, which is Ukraine's red line.

On Wednesday evening, British Defense Secretary John Healey also urged Putin to "accept a ceasefire." At the Paris Defense and Security Forum, Healey called on Putin: "Now it's your turn. You said you wanted to negotiate, then prove it, accept a ceasefire, start negotiations, and end the war."

Putin says Russia agrees to 30-day ceasefire

Putin said that Russia agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia currently has an advantage on the Kursk front. Whether the Ukrainian army will withdraw unscathed or lay down its arms and surrender on the spot, these issues need to be resolved. Putin also said that how the parties monitor the ceasefire and how to resolve many details need further discussion. Putin said he may communicate with Trump on the above issues.

At a press conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that the 30-day temporary ceasefire proposed by the United States is a "good idea", but "there are some issues that need to be discussed." He said that the temporary ceasefire must be carried out in a way that can achieve long-term peace, so Russia hopes to ensure that Ukraine will not mobilize or train soldiers during the 30-day ceasefire, nor will it receive weapons from the United States.

Trump then said that Putin's statement was "very promising" but "incomplete" and expressed his willingness to meet with Putin. Later on the 13th, Trump's special envoy Witkoff will meet with Putin in Moscow. Analysts believe that Trump may make concessions on some issues he considers "insignificant" in exchange for Putin changing some of his demands. However, it remains to be seen whether the United States will suspend military aid to Ukraine again during the 30-day ceasefire period at the request of the Russian side.