Could US President Donald Trump really go so far as to declare an economic war on Russia over Ukraine? Unbelievable. Yet, the White House leader has warned of such a possibility. This means everyone should stay alert.

If there is no progress in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, America may launch an "economic war" against Russia, Trump said. At the same time, he stressed that he would prefer to avoid such a negative scenario. The question is whether he can sidestep that confrontation.

According to Trump, an economic war would have damaging consequences for Moscow, which he says he does not want. "It's very, very serious what I have in mind, if I have to do it," the American leader warned, referring to possible US penalties on Russia.

So far, no concrete statements have followed. Trump has not specified when such an economic war might begin or how it would differ from the current sanctions regime.

Trump noted once again that thousands of people are dying each week in the fighting and said that he wants "to see it end." He added he would like to bring both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders to the negotiating table. For now, though, that initiative seems far from realistic.