President Donald Trump has threatened new sanctions and tariffs against Russia over its bombing of Ukraine, after previously halting US aid to Kiev in an attempt to encourage diplomacy.

"Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely 'hitting' Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions, penalties, and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire is reached and a final peace agreement is reached," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

"To Russia and Ukraine: come to the negotiating table now, before it's too late," he wrote, as quoted by AFP.

Trump's threat comes after Russia launched large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Days earlier, the Trump administration suspended US military aid deliveries and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a dispute with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On February 28, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance scolded Zelensky in a televised meeting at the White House, accusing him of ingratitude for billions of dollars in U.S. arms.

Trump has since come under sharp criticism from allies and domestic opponents who say he sided with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The United States voted with Russia and against its European allies on UN resolutions calling for an end to the war without stressing Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Last month, Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an initial step toward restoring normal relations and lifting sweeping sanctions imposed under former President Joe Biden over the invasion of Ukraine. | BGNES