It is highly likely that long-suffering Armenia will not escape the impact of Western sanctions against Russia. The President of the United States has once again warned Vladimir Putin that a new round of punishing sanctions will be imposed if no significant progress is made in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Trump's July 15 statement carried the tone of an ultimatum: if the Russian president does not agree to a peace deal within 50 days, the U.S. administration will introduce a 100% customs tariff not only on Russian goods but also on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas.
“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a very tough guy,” Trump said of Putin, expressing his disappointment in the Russian leader’s behavior. “Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening,” he added. Unsatisfied with the situation, Trump issued a second warning, announcing that European countries would finance new military equipment for Ukraine — including Patriot air defense systems, which would be deployed to the front lines directly from existing Western arsenals. The U.S. president is clearly trying to pressure his Russian counterpart, though so far, it appears he has not been successful.
Moscow’s response was not long in coming. On the same day, July 15, the Kremlin reacted to the U.S. president’s remarks. “The statements made by the U.S. president are very serious. Some of them are addressed personally to President Putin. We definitely need time to analyze what was said in Washington,” stated Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. According to him, the promises of military support to Ukraine signal not peace, but war. He added that Russia is awaiting clarification regarding the date of the third round of negotiations with Kyiv. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also commented, saying, “Moscow is ready to negotiate. But if Russia cannot achieve its goals through diplomacy, it will resort to other means. Russia will achieve its objectives through war if necessary.”
How the two superpowers resolve their internal disagreements is their own concern. What worries us is the U.S. president’s intention to raise “secondary tariffs” to 100%. This move would impact not only Russian goods but also countries that purchase oil and gas from Russia — including Armenia. What would this mean for our country, whose primary gas supplier is Russia, through Gazprom Armenia? If the Trump administration follows though so far, Armenia — heavily dependent on Russian energy resources — will find itself under economic strain.
This, in turn, would mean: a) the freezing of Armenian-American economic relations, b) the imposition of strict controls within the international financial system, c) a sharp decline in foreign investment, and finally, d) a forced reconsideration of Armenia’s dependence on Russian energy. Thus, Trump’s recent statements about sanctions on Moscow indicate that Washington is prepared to apply intense economic pressure on Putin — pressure that could extend to his energy sector partners, including Armenia.
Exactly two months ago, Trump made his most severe public comment yet about the Russian leader. “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote on social media. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right. But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he reiterated on the evening of May 25, in his latest statement on sanctions.