WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump on Monday threatened Russia with sweeping new tariffs and unveiled plans to accelerate deliveries of American weapons to Ukraine, signaling a hardening posture toward Moscow after months of stalled peace negotiations and growing frustration over the unrelenting war.
Standing alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump said he would impose “severe tariffs” unless Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a peace settlement within 50 days. While the president did not detail the precise scope of the tariffs, he described them as “secondary,” meaning they would target nations that continue trading with Russia to further isolate the Kremlin economically.
Trump also said European allies would purchase “billions and billions” of dollars of U.S. military equipment to replenish Ukraine’s depleted arsenal. The package includes additional Patriot air defense systems, a priority for Kyiv as it endures waves of Russian missile and drone attacks that have pushed monthly civilian casualties to the highest levels in three years.
“My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump said of Putin. “It just keeps going on and on.”
Trump’s renewed pressure comes as Russia intensifies its offensive along parts of the 1,000-kilometer front line and escalates bombardment of Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. In June alone, more than 230 civilians were killed and over 1,300 wounded, the U.N. human rights mission reported.
Earlier in his term, Trump repeatedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an obstacle to peace, calling him “a dictator without elections.” But Russia’s unrelenting attacks appear to have eroded Trump’s patience. This spring, he publicly implored Putin to halt the bombardments and later declared in a social media post that the Russian leader “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
On Monday, Trump confirmed that European partners including Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Canada had agreed to jointly purchase American-made weapons for Ukraine. Rutte emphasized the urgency, saying, “Speed is of the essence here,” and indicated that some systems could be delivered immediately, with European stocks to be replenished by later U.S. shipments.
The president also announced that Patriot missile systems and other sophisticated weapons would be dispatched to help Ukraine defend its skies. The European Union will finance the purchases, Trump said, ensuring that American taxpayers are reimbursed.
“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment,” he said. “They are going to pay us 100% for that.”
German officials said Berlin would fund two Patriot systems in addition to the three already sent to Ukraine. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius traveled to Washington on Monday to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, underscoring the coordinated effort.
Despite the tougher tone, Trump expressed skepticism about bipartisan legislation in Congress that would ratchet up sanctions and impose 500% tariffs on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil and gas. “I’m not sure we need it,” Trump said. “It could be very useful. We’ll have to see.”
Instead, the president proposed a unilateral 100% tariff, warning that it could dramatically disrupt global commerce. Analysts noted such a move could effectively sever trade ties with China, which now buys nearly half of Russia’s crude exports.
“I use trade for a lot of things,” Trump said. “But it’s great for settling wars.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss joint arms production, U.S. weapons procurement with European partners, and further sanctions against Moscow.
“We hope for the leadership of the United States,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “It is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ambitions are stopped by force.”
Russian officials dismissed Trump’s threats. Senior lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev called the plan “a gift to the U.S. military-industrial complex,” while Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev insisted that dialogue between Washington and Moscow would continue despite “titanic efforts to disrupt it.”
