Trump Announces Plan to Arm Ukraine, Threatens Russia with Tariffs for Peace Delay

In a significant move, US President Donald Trump has announced the US will send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine via NATO countries, while also threatening Russia with severe tariffs if a peace deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days.

Following a meeting with NATO Chief Mark Rutte in Washington, Trump stated, "We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do." Rutte confirmed that the US has decided to "massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through NATO," and that European countries will foot the bill.

European countries will send Kyiv their own Patriot air defense systems - which Ukraine relies on to repel Russia's deadly air strikes - and replacements will then be issued by the US, Trump said. Neither Rutte nor Trump elaborated on the weaponry that will be sent to Kyiv but Rutte said the deal included "missiles and ammunition."

Trump's weapons pledge marks a major step forward for Ukraine. However, the president did say "top-of-the-line-weapons" worth billions of dollars would be "quickly distributed to the battlefield" in order to support Ukraine. Rutte commented, "If I was Vladimir Putin today... I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump for his "willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace" on Twitter.

On the tariffs front, Trump said that the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 days. This would see any country that trades with Russia face the tax if they want to sell their products to the US.

For example, if India keeps buying oil from Russia, US companies that purchase Indian goods would have to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products reach American shores. This would make the goods so expensive that US businesses would likely choose to buy them cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue for India.

The intention is also to hobble Russia's economy. Theoretically, if Moscow was unable to generate money by selling oil to other nations it would also have less money to finance its war in Ukraine. Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow's state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could make a significant dent in Russia's finances.

The Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely as investors were expecting Trump - who last week teased a "major statement" on Russia - to pledge even harsher measures. Although details about both the tariffs and the NATO weapons deal were scant, Monday was the first time Trump pledged new military equipment for Ukraine since returning to the White House. The briefing was also notable for the tone struck by US president, whose rhetoric on Vladimir Putin has become increasingly harsh.

Trump implied Kyiv bore some responsibility for Russia's decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But he mostly appeared frustrated at the lack of progress in ending a conflict which he once seemed to believe could be easily solvable. Asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said that the two speak "a lot about getting this thing done" but voiced his displeasure at the fact that "very nice phone calls" with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine - which have been growing in intensity and frequency.

"After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn't mean anything," Trump said. "I don't want to call him an assassin but he's a tough guy. It's been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people - Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden," he added. "He didn't fool me. At a certain point talk doesn't talk, it's got to be action."

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - something Moscow has blamed on Kyiv. Ukraine's President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a "productive meeting" - saying he was "grateful" to Trump for his support.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement - but commentary trickling in from Moscow appeared to indicate a measure of relief. Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement "a bluff" that indicated Trump had "given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine." Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that "if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it's been much ado about nothing."

In 50 days, a lot could change "both on the battlefield and in the moods of the powers that be in the US and NATO," Kosachev wrote.