Trump threatens Putin with tariffs, approves new Ukraine aid package
Published in News & Features
President Donald Trump Monday threatened a new round of punishing tariffs aimed at Russia and unveiled a new package of military aid for embattled Ukraine as his apparent feud with Vladimir Putin deepens.
“We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia,” Trump said at the White House. “We’re going to do very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in about 50 days.”
The president said he will impose 100% secondary tariffs on countries that buy resources from Russia and would consider even higher levies of 500% if the Republican-led Congress passes a sanctions bill.
He also vowed to send both defensive and offensive weaponry to Kyiv in what appears to be a significant shift in his approach to the three year-plus Russian invasion.
Trump lashed out at Putin in a sign that he has finally lost patience with the Kremlin’s double talk after six months of inaction.
“My conversations with him are always very pleasant. And then the missiles hit. At a certain time, talk doesn’t talk,” Trump said.
Trump ticked off a list of global hot spots that his administration has made progress on solving.
“The only one we haven’t been able to get to is Russia,” Trump said. “And I’m not happy about it.”
Flanked by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump laid out a plan for transferring Patriot missile defense systems and other weapons, that he said European allies would pay for.
Trump made stopping the Ukraine war quickly one of his diplomatic priorities, even repeatedly claiming he could end the fighting in a single day. But Putin has stubbornly snubbed his demands for a ceasefire that could lead to peace talks.
Kremlin watchers say Trump played into Putin’s hands by caving to several Russian demands, like conceding that Ukraine would need to give up large swaths of territory seized by Russia, without getting any concessions in return.
Special envoy to Ukraine retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday, as anticipation grew over a possible shift.
Zelenskyy said the talks went well, in a sign he has turned the page on an ugly spat with Trump at the White House last winter that led the president to briefly cut off aid.
“We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its … ambitions are stopped by force,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram social media site.
Russia has launched a major spring and summer offensive, seeking to push back Ukrainian troops along the front lines in the eastern Donbas region.
Putin has also irked Trump by ramping up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets, seemingly ignoring his call for an end to the fighting.
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