In a post on Truth Social, Trump modified comments that he would likely impose sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin refused to negotiate an end to the nearly three-year conflict.
"If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump said.
Trump said he was "going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War!"
The US president's post did not identify the countries that he considered participants in the conflict, or how he defined participation.
Former president Joe Biden's administration heaped heavy sanctions on thousands of entities in Russia's banking, defence, manufacturing, energy, technology and other sectors since Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands of people and reduced cities to rubble.
The Kremlin said on Thursday it saw nothing particularly new in a threat by the US president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had often applied sanctions against Russia in his first term as president.
"We do not see any particularly new elements here," he told reporters. "He likes these methods, at least he liked them during his first presidency."
In the run-up to his US election victory, Trump declared dozens of times that he would have a deal in place between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not before. But Trump's aides have conceded a deal to end the war could take months or longer.
Meanwhile Trump told Fox News that TikTok is "going to stay around", downplaying the threat of the Chinese government using the app to spy on users.
Trump said TikTok users are mainly young people. (AP PHOTO)
The US Supreme Court upheld a law to ban TikTok in the US, however Trump signed an executive order granting the platform a 75-day extension to comply with a law banning the app if it is not sold.
When asked about fears the app is being used by the Chinese government to spy on US citizens, Trump said "you can say that about everything made in China", and that "we have our telephones made in China".
Trump said TikTok users were mainly young people and asked is it "that important to be spying on young people, on young kids watching crazy videos?"
Domestically Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state's approach on its management of water.
He told Fox News the blame for Los Angeles' struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the US state fights the blazes.
"I don't think we should give California anything until they let the water run down," Trump said.
Trump threatened to withhold disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles. (AP PHOTO)
He made the threat as he prepares for the first presidential trip of his second term.
On Friday, he will visit southern California in addition to western North Carolina, which is recovering after Hurricane Helene hit the area more than three months ago.
In the interview, the president also called for reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, claiming it is "getting in the way of everything".
"I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems," he said.
Trump did not elaborate on his proposed reforms, only saying the agency is "going to be a whole big discussion very shortly".
In other developments Trump also announced his picks for US Secret Service director and European Union ambassador.
He is nominating former fast food executive Andrew Puzder to serve as his EU envoy and Secret Service veteran Sean Curran as his pick to head the US Secret Service.
Agencies
