Trump was speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York. Donald Trump has threatened to use sweeping new tariff powers to increase pressure on Russia as he called for an end to Moscow’s “disastrous” war against Ukraine. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the US president said legislation he signed last week had given him “enormous new tariff authority,” adding: “If necessary, we will have to use it.” Trump was referring to the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named after the late Republican senator who championed the legislation. It passed Congress with broad bipartisan support before Trump signed it into law last Friday. The law allows tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas. “We continue to seek an end to the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine, which is killing thousands and thousands of people every month,” Trump said. “It’s time to stop the killing.” 'It’s so horrible to see' Earlier in his address, the US president said Washington was working “very closely” with the leaders of both countries and predicted that the war would end sooner than many expected. “We will get that one done. It will happen more quickly than people understand,” he said. “They have had it. Twenty-five thousand people, mostly young soldiers, are dying every month. It’s so horrible to see.” Trump was scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the General Assembly later on Tuesday. ‘Energy truce’ urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that a possible ‘energy truce’ between Kyiv and Moscow would form part of the conversation. "We think that would be a great idea – an energy infrastructure ceasefire in which... Ukraine's infrastructure is not being targeted, Russian energy supplies are not being targeted as well. It's an ideal outcome," Rubio told US broadcaster Fox News on Tuesday. Trump said on Monday that Russia had “lost control” of its diesel industry after Ukrainian strikes knocked several refineries out of operation. He had earlier claimed that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, although neither side publicly confirmed such a deal. Ukraine and Russia have since continued striking energy facilities, dealing a blow to Trump’s efforts to secure even a limited pause in a war now in its fifth year.
