Washington (EFE).- United States President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, threatening to impose so-called “ secondary tariffs up to 100% unless a peace agreement on Ukraine is reached within 50 days.
“One of the reasons you’re here today is because I’m very unhappy with Russia,” Trump told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting in the Oval Office. “We’re going to apply very severe tariffs if we don’t get a deal in 50 days, tariffs of around 100% which we would call secondary tariffs”
These tariffs would target third-party countries or entities doing business with Russia, adding significant economic pressure as the war in Ukraine continues.
Shift in Trump’s approach to Putin
Trump’s remarks represent a marked shift in tone toward the Russian leader, whom he had previously tried to engage diplomatically since taking office on Jan. 20.
The turning point reportedly came on Jul. 3, during a phone call in which Putin allegedly told Trump he had no intention of backing down from his objectives in Ukraine.
The call, according to sources familiar with the discussion, deeply frustrated the US President.
“He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden, but not me,” Trump said Monday, referencing his predecessors. “At the end of the day, words don’t mean anything. You have to act. You have to get results.”
In April, Trump rolled out a broad package of global sanctions but notably excluded Russia, arguing that it was already heavily sanctioned.
His latest threat is the most concrete measure he has proposed since then.
US to send weapons via NATO, Europe to pay
Alongside the tariff threat, Trump announced a new plan to send advanced US-made weapons to NATO member states, which would then transfer them to Ukraine.
The cost, he said, would be covered by European allies.
“Today we reached an agreement: we’ll send the weapons, and they will pay. The US won’t spend a dollar. We won’t buy them, we’ll manufacture them and ship them,” Trump said. “NATO members have the money and want to do it.”
The president added that this would include systems such as Patriot missile batteries and ammunition.
He revealed that one unnamed NATO country has 17 Patriot batteries it is not using, and that a deal is being negotiated to transfer many of them to Warsaw for eventual use in Ukraine.
“This is a major agreement, billions of dollars in US-made military equipment will go to NATO and quickly reach the battlefield. Ukraine will start receiving it,” Trump said.
The announcement follows a recent Pentagon decision to pause direct arms shipments to Kyiv pending an inventory review, a move that had sparked criticism from allies and Ukrainian officials.
Pressure builds ahead of deadline
Trump’s 50-day ultimatum places renewed urgency on diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, now well into its third year.
Despite repeated threats in recent weeks, this is the first time Trump has set a specific economic consequence with a timeline.
During his meeting with Rutte, Trump emphasized that while the United States is willing to support Ukraine’s military through its NATO allies, his administration would not continue footing the bill.
“We make the best weapons in the world, and we’ll provide them. But we can’t keep doing more for Ukraine, we simply can’t,” he said. “This is a turning point.” EFE
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