President Trump said Monday he will impose 100% "secondary" tariffs on Russia if no deal is reached on the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
"We're very, very unhappy with them, and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days — tariffs at about 100%," the president said during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.
President Trump has recently stepped up his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin after being unable to end the war as he promised. It's a notable shift from how he spoke about the Russian leader earlier this year.
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During Monday’s meeting, President Trump and Rutte announced the United States will sell weaponry to European partners so they can replenish supplies sent to Ukraine. Rutte said the move will allow Ukraine to secure additional air-defense munitions. The president indicated this will likely include Patriot missile systems, which Ukrainian officials have long requested.
The conflict in Eastern Europe has escalated in recent weeks. The United Nations reports that June marked the deadliest month in Ukraine in nearly three years.
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Russia could also face more pressure from Washington. Lawmakers are awaiting a decision on whether President Trump will endorse a bipartisan proposal to sanction Russia further. One option under consideration is using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine purchase additional military equipment.
Another idea circulating on Capitol Hill would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian energy — though some U.S. allies could be caught in the crosshairs, given their reliance on that energy.
