Trump's 'let's make a deal' ultimatum to Putin

DONALD Trump last night issued Vladimir Putin with a stark ultimatum to sign a deal to end the "ridiculous" war in Ukraine.

- By Allister Hagger

Failure to do so would lead to punishing tariffs on Russian imports and further sanctions, as the US President threatened: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way - and the easy way is always better."

Mr Trump said by looking to end the war he was doing Russia and its president a "very big favour".

In a post on his online platform Truth Social, the new US leader said: "I'm not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin."