President Donald Trump today issued a forceful ultimatum to Russia, threatening severe secondary tariffs if the ongoing war in Ukraine is not resolved by September 2. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, President Trump expressed strong dissatisfaction with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, pledging “very severe tariffs” on Moscow “if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.”
“I’m disappointed in President Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there,” Trump stated. “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 at 100 percent, and that’s the way it is. That can be more simple. It’s just the way it is. I hope we don’t have to do it.”
The proposed tariffs — actually secondary sanctions against countries purchasing Russian oil — would be as high as 100 percent, effectively doubling the cost of imports from any country targeted by them.
Shift in Stance and Increased Military Aid for Ukraine
President Trump also confirmed a significant shift in U.S. policy, announcing that the United States would provide more arms to Ukraine. This will be facilitated through NATO allies, who will purchase the weapons from the U.S. and then transfer them to Kyiv, with U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, coordinating this effort.
Trump sharply criticized Putin, accusing him of being “all talk” despite months of U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal. “I hope we don’t get to the point where we do, but I’ve been hearing so much talk. It’s all talk. It’s all talk. And then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people,” he remarked, emphasizing that the war “has got to stop.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte lauded the development as “really big,” commending President Trump for deciding to provide Ukraine with necessary defense capabilities. Rutte described Trump’s decision to allow European NATO allies to fund these weapons as “totally logical,” aligning with NATO’s collective defense spending targets.
President Trump stated that “billions of dollars worth of military equipment” purchased by NATO allies would be “quickly distributed to the battlefield.” He praised Ukrainian forces for their skill and “tremendous courage” in utilizing American-made weapons. He also condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian targets, calling the use of “several hundred drones a day” and “missiles… bombing cities” as having “no military reason,” instead causing panic, destroying infrastructure, and leading to significant loss of life.
The President expressed hope that increased NATO defense spending and additional weapons for Kyiv would “have an impact on Vladimir Putin.” He added, “we want to make sure that Ukraine does what they have to do. I feel confident that they will do what has to be done. Plus we have certain parameters that both sides know, and we already know what should be done. So I think that’s going to be, it’s going to be very strong. We want everlasting peace.”
Regarding a Senate proposal for even higher secondary sanctions (up to 500 percent), Trump indicated that Republicans were “moving very strongly” on the package, with amendments to grant him more authority to lift or delay them if necessary. While he suggested they might not be needed, he acknowledged their potential usefulness.
Continuing his strong remarks against Putin, Trump described the Russian leader as a “tough guy” who had “fooled” multiple American leaders. He recounted numerous phone calls with Putin aimed at securing a peace deal, only for Russia to launch new attacks. “At a certain point, you know, ultimately, talk doesn’t talk. It’s got to be action. It’s got to be results.”
