The Art of the (Conditional) Deal: Trump’s Russia Sanctions Approach

President Donald Trump is applying his signature “Art of the Deal” philosophy to Russia sanctions, presenting a bold but highly conditional offer to his NATO allies. The deal is simple: their total economic commitment in exchange for America’s toughest economic measures against Moscow.
The terms of the deal were laid out on Truth Social. The U.S. will provide “major Sanctions on Russia,” but the other side of the bargain requires every single NATO ally to first stop buying Russian oil. This is the opening bid, and it is non-negotiable.
The deal also includes a clause concerning third parties, specifically China. Trump wants NATO to collectively impose massive tariffs of 50% to 100% on Beijing. This adds significant value for the U.S. position but also raises the cost of entry for the allies, who must also commit to this trade confrontation.
This approach is classic Trump: start with a maximalist position and frame the issue as a transaction. He is leveraging the promise of U.S. power to extract significant concessions from his partners, betting that their desire to punish Russia will be strong enough to make them accept his demanding terms.