Trump Threatens to Hit Russia with 100 Percent Tariffs
(MENAFN) On Monday, US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning that the United States would impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia if a resolution to end the conflict in Ukraine is not secured within the next 50 days.
During a meeting at the Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump expressed his deep dissatisfaction with Russia and voiced disappointment in President Vladimir Putin’s handling of the situation.
“I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there,” Trump remarked.
He added, “So, based on that, we’re going to be doing secondary tariffs. If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, it’s very simple – and they’ll be 100%.”
Referring to the ongoing conflict, which began in February 2022, as former President Joe “Biden’s war,” Trump stated, “I would like to see it end. It wasn’t my war ... I’m trying to get you out of it.”
In addition, Trump revealed plans for the US to supply Ukraine with weapons via NATO, clarifying that European allies will bear the entire financial burden.
“We made a deal today … We are going to be sending them weapons that they are going to be paying for. The United States will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it,” he explained.
Rutte confirmed the agreement, emphasizing, “The US has decided to indeed massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through NATO. Europeans (are) 100% paying for that.”
On the topic of missile defense, Trump confirmed that US Patriot missile systems would be sent to Ukraine imminently.
“We’re going to have some come very soon, within days,” he stated. “A couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and we’ll replace the Patriots with the ones they have. And Mark (Rutte) will coordinate with NATO.”
Without naming the country, Trump added, "We have one country that has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped. They’re not going to need it for them. So we’re going to work a deal where the 17 will go up ... That could be done very quickly.”
Separately, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. Their discussions focused on enhancing air defense capabilities, joint weapons production, and the continuation of sanctions.
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy posted on X, “We hope for U.S. leadership, as it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its unreasonable ambitions are curbed through strength.”
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