Trump lambasts ‘Russian war machine’ as special envoy set to visit Moscow

President Trump on Monday lambasted the “Russian war machine” responsible for the deaths of innocent Ukrainians — in a sharp escalation of his rhetoric just as special envoy Steve Witkoff was slated to visit Moscow for a make-or-break meeting this week.

Trump lashed out at the Kremlin as he jacked up the US tariff on imports from India because of the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine raged on.

“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,” the president said in a Truth Social post.

“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.” he raged.

“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!! President DJT.”

The war machine reference comes as Trump has opted for a noticeably harsher stance against the Kremlin of late over President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to come to the table to broker a deal to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Despite speaking admiringly of Putin in the past, Trump has voiced increasing frustration with the Russian dictator.

Trump’s latest jab comes as the Aug. 8 deadline he gave for Russia to agree to end its war with Ukraine inches closer.

He’s threatened to impose new sanctions or tariffs on Russia and buyers of its oil, including India and China, unless the Kremlin shows progress towards a peace settlement.

Witkoff, meanwhile, is expected to travel to Russia on Wednesday to take yet another crack at persuading the Kremlin to begin peace talks.

The special envoy has previously brokered conversations with Putin on multiple visits but has so far failed to persuade him to agree to end its more than three-year war.

“We are always happy to see Mr Witkoff in Moscow and we are always happy to have contacts with Mr Witkoff. We consider them important, meaningful and very useful,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the looming meeting.

Putin said last week that talks had made some positive progress but that Russia had the momentum in the war.

Still, Moscow was said to be “unfazed” by Trump’s ramped-up press, Russian state media reported.

“In foreign policy, and particularly in diplomacy, it is always better to be less emotional and more measured. So, all the emotions now dominating the media space, with all these statements and references to big names, Trump, should be taken calmly,” Russia’s Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Grigory Karasin, told the Tass news agency.

“There will be contacts with him [Witkoff] that will reveal what the United States actually thinks, not for the public eye, about the absolutely destructive role currently played by the European Union countries, which tightly control the Zelensky regime,” he added.

“All of that will be discussed. I believe that following these contacts, we will at least know everything of substance. Therefore, we must remain patient, composed, and resist emotional responses.”