U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would impose “very serious tariffs” on Russia within 50 days if no deal was reached to stop the war in Ukraine.
Trump announces that he is talking about 100% tariffs while meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.
Trump said they will be “secondary tariffs”, meaning they will target Russia’s trading partners to isolate Moscow’s global economy. Direct trade between Washington and Moscow plummeted since Russia launched its invasion in early 2022.
If implemented, this would be a major shift in Western sanctions policy. Legislators from both U.S. parties are pushing for a bill that authorizes such measures.
Throughout more than three years of war, Western countries have cut off most of their financial ties with Moscow, but have blocked measures that would limit Russia’s sales of oil elsewhere. This allows Moscow to continue to make hundreds of millions of dollars from transporting oil to buyers such as China and India.
The U.S. Envoy from Kiev
Trump also said the United States will send military aid to help Ukraine in its war efforts, but NATO members (rather than U.S. taxpayers) will pay for the weapons.
“We will make top weapons and they will be sent to NATO,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared with NATO boss Mark Rutte on Monday, saying he was very unhappy with Russian tariffs if Ukraine has no deals around Ukraine over the next 50 days.
As part of the first wave of equipment, a large number of weapons, including missiles, will be sent.
Trump said equipment, including the Patriot missile system, will arrive soon.
The Pentagon ordered a reversal of some military aid delivery to Ukraine earlier this month. Trump reversed the decision last week.
Trump has promised a quick end to the war in the 2024 presidential campaign, but in the months of his second administration, little progress has been made. Republican presidents sometimes criticize our spending on Ukraine’s defense, applaud Russia’s defense, and openly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At other times, he expressed disappointment at President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s continued bombing of Ukraine.
“I’m very disappointed with President Putin because I think we’ll reach a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there,” he said on Monday.
In his comments, Zelenskyy held talks with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg to increase the production of weapons and purchase of weapons.
Zelenskyy has been seeking air defense systems to resist Russian air strikes. He said on social media that he discussed “the path to peace that we can actually work together to get it closer”.
Germany may be a key ally
In addition to Rut, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will visit Washington on Monday to hold talks with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to a proposal made publicly by Prime Minister Friedrich Merz, Berlin proposed to pay for Ukraine’s Patriot system and become a key player in the process of moving to build military power under U.S. pressure.
As peace negotiations intensify, Russia continues to defeat Ukraine with missiles and drones. Terence McKenna of CBC examines Vladimir Putin’s need to cancel his war and why our pressure doesn’t seem to work.
Russia began a full-scale invasion in February 2022, accounting for about one-fifth of Ukraine. Its troops are slowly growing in eastern Ukraine, and Moscow shows no sign of abandoning its main war objectives.
A Kremlin aide said Putin told Trump by phone on July 3 that Moscow hopes to reach a war end but will not take a step back.
A year ago, Putin was ready to stop the war through a negotiated ceasefire in recognition of the existing battlefield line. But in talks last month, Russia proposed punitive peace clauses, requiring Kiev to abandon most of its territory and accept restrictions on the size of its military.
Trump’s promise NATO would pay for weapons, which satisfies his demand that the United States not continues to fight and bears the economic burden of European allies.
Even as the U.S. president and coalition members move towards cooperation on the issue, many of the same countries are upset by the White House’s active tariff policies.
The EU accused the U.S. of boycotting efforts to reach a trade deal on Monday, warning against measures if it is not reached to avoid the August 1 punishment tariffs.
Meanwhile, Trump said he is willing to hold further discussions with the EU and other trading partners before a new 30% tariff next month.
“They want to make another deal, and we are always willing to speak, including Europe,” he told the Oval Office reporter. EU officials will come to the United States for negotiations soon.
There are 23 countries that are part of the EU and NATO.
