Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia and OPEC could ‘immediately’ end Russia-Ukraine war. But how?

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia and OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) could “immediately” end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Donald Trump was addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos through a video link. “If the [oil] price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that war will continue.”

The US President announced on Thursday that he would be asking Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil. “You got to bring it down, which frankly I am surprised they didn't do before the elections...,” Trump said. “They should have done it long ago,” he added.

He also said he would ask Riyadh to increase a planned US investment package to $1 trillion from an initial $600 billion.

Russia had launched a full-fledged war, or what he called a “special military operation” against Ukraine in 2022.

Donald Trump had earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin “should make a deal” with Ukraine. “Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think, from what I hear, Putin would like to see me. And we'll meet as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately. Soldiers are being killed on the battlefield,” Trump was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Trump also claimed Ukraine is ready to make a deal. “He's [Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] ready to negotiate a deal. He'd like to stop. He's somebody that lost a lot of soldiers. So did Russia. Russia lost more soldiers, they lost 8,00,000 soldiers,” Trump added.

He also warned that if there was not a ceasefire deal soon, he would “have no other choice” but to impose tariffs, taxes and sanctions on “anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries”.

(With inputs from agencies)