Home World Trump touts weapon sales to NATO for Ukraine and threatens Russia with...

Trump touts weapon sales to NATO for Ukraine and threatens Russia with 100% tariffs

President Trump sits with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House.

President Trump meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Evan Vucci/AP

MOSCOW — President Trump on Monday threatened to punish Russia with heavy tariffs on countries that trade with Moscow if the Kremlin fails to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, while promising Kyiv billions of dollars worth of military equipment.

“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Trump said during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “Tariffs at about 100%, you’d call them secondary tariffs.”

It was his latest warning against Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Trump becomes increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin leader over his continued war in Ukraine.

Sponsor Message

President Trump explained that NATO countries would acquire U.S.-made weapons, including Patriot air defense missile systems, and that those countries would provide them to Ukraine.

Speaking Sunday to reporters ahead of the meeting with Rutte, Trump cast the weapons deals as a direct rebuke to Putin.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need because Putin really surprised a lot of people,” Trump said. “He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.”

Republican senators have sought to reconfigure a draft bill that would give Trump a sanctions on/off switch to use as snap leverage with Moscow.

Collectively, the moves cap a stark turnaround in Trump’s approach toward President Putin over the Ukraine issue. Trump has gone from initially promising he could leverage his personal relationship with Putin to negotiate a swift peace agreement, to now openly criticizing the Kremlin leader as unserious in negotiations to end the war.

“It’s all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people,” Trump said Monday. “It’s got to stop.”

The announcement coincided with a visit to Kyiv by White House special envoy Keith Kellogg, which included a sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy appeared upbeat in a video posted on social media, calling his talks with Kellogg a “productive conversation” and praising Trump for “important signals of support” for Ukraine.

Sponsor Message

“We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer. This includes strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, joint production, and procurement of defense weapons in collaboration with Europe,” Zelenskyy wrote 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.”

Back in Moscow, the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia was waiting to hear full details of Trump’s announcement, but framed the decision to provide arms through NATO as merely U.S. policy rebranded.

“The fact remains that the supply of weapons, ammunition and military equipment from the United States continued and continues to Ukraine,” Peskov told reporters.

The spokesman has similarly played down recent profane statements by Trump suggesting Putin was unserious about negotiations.

The American leader often engages in “tough talk,” Peskov noted, adding Russia still hoped to repair bilateral relations.

Political observers in Moscow suggested the Kremlin’s muted response reflected an acknowledgment that it was dealing with a mercurial American president. Trump’s frustrations with Russia today might be directed at Ukraine tomorrow.

“Why should they ruin relations completely?” Sergey Poletaev, of the Moscow-based Vatfor analytical platform, said in an interview with NPR.

“In another six months or so, the pendulum could swing back the other way.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Must Read

A Famous Palestinian Activist Killed in the Occupied West Bank

A photo of Palestinian activist Awdah Al Hathaleen, who witnesses say was killed by an Israeli settler, hangs in the entrance to his home in the village of Umm al-Khair, West Bank, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. Julia Frankel/AP/AP hide caption toggle caption Julia Frankel/AP/AP A Palestinian activist who helped make the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other

Witkoff in Moscow for peace talks. And, the Voting Rights Act faces new threats

Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow and is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin today.

Mexican ranchers struggle to adapt as a parasite ravages cattle exports to the U.S.

A calf is evaluated by a veterinary during a veterinary inspection in Hermosillo, Sonora State, Mexico. Fernando Llano/AP hide caption toggle caption Fernando Llano/AP HERMOSILLO, Mexico — The United States' suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico hit at the worst possible time for rancher Martín Ibarra Vargas, who after two years of severe drought

4 European countries agree to buy a combined $1 billion in U.S. weapons for Ukraine

Ukrainians have made a makeshift memorial outside an apartment building in the capital, Kyiv, that was hit by a Russian airstrike on July 31. A combined missile and drone attack killed more than 30 civilians and wounded more than 150 in the city that day. Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Roman

Their son was shot by police in Bangladesh’s 2024 protests. They still want justice

Abu Sayed's parents, Mokbul Hussein and Monowara Khatun, sit in the courtyard of their home in Rangpur, Bangladesh, on July 30. On the wall behind them hangs a memorial plaque dedicated to their son who was killed by police during protests last year. Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR hide caption toggle caption Parvez Ahmad Rony