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President Donald Trump said Monday he was “very unhappy” with Russia
US President Donald Trump has announced that the US will send “the best weapons” to Ukraine through NATO countries, but threatened Russia with severe tariffs if the contract to end the war did not reach within 50 days.
“I want to allow Ukraine to do what they want,” Trump said following a meeting with Washington’s NATO chief Mark Latte.
Latte confirmed that the US has decided to “provide Ukraine on a large scale what it needs through NATO” and that Europeans have decided to draft a bill.
European countries will send their own patriot air defense system to Kiev – Ukraine relies on to repel Russia’s deadly air – and alternatives will be issued by the US, Trump said.
Neither Latte nor Trump detailed the weapons sent to Kiev, but Latte said the deal includes “missiles and ammunition.”
However, the president said that billions of dollars worth of “best weapons” will be “speed up to the battlefield” to support Ukraine.
“If I were Vladimir Putin today… I would reconsider whether negotiations about Ukraine should not be taken more seriously,” Latte said.
Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelensky said on Twitter that he spoke with Trump after his meeting with Latte, thanking him for his “willingness to support Ukraine and continue to work together to stop the killings and establish lasting peace.”
“We discussed the necessary measures and solutions with the President to provide better protection for people from Russian attacks and strengthen their position. We are ready to work as productive as possible to achieve peace,” he said.
Reuters
NATO Chief Mark Latte met with Trump on Monday
On the tariff front, Trump said if the peace agreement with Ukraine does not reach within 50 days, the US will impose a 100% secondary tariff targeting the remaining Russian trading partners.
This will show which countries face taxes if the country that trades with Russia wants to sell the product to the US.
For example, if India continues to buy oil from Russia, the US companies purchasing Indian goods must pay 100% import tax or duties when the product reaches the American coast.
This will result in US companies choosing to buy cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in loss of revenue in India as the goods are so expensive.
The intention is also to hinder Russia’s economy. In theory, if Moscow could not generate money by selling oil to other countries, there would be less money to fund the war in Ukraine.
Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of the Moscow province’s revenues and over 60% of its exports, a 100% tariff could be something like Russia’s finances.
Still, the Moscow Stock Exchange indicators rose sharply after the announcement, perhaps after investors were hoping that Trump, who bullied a “major statement” about Russia last week, would pledge even stricter measures.
Details on both the tariffs and the NATO arms trade were scarce, but it was the first time Trump has pledged to Ukraine’s new military equipment since returning to the White House on Monday.
The briefing was also notable in the tone that was hit by the US president, who is becoming increasingly harsh in Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric.
Reuters
Under the New Deal, European countries send their own Patriot Air Defence System (File Photo) to Kiev
Not the first time, Trump implied that Kiev had some responsibility for Russia’s decision to launch a full-scale Ukraine invasion in February 2022.
However, he seemed annoyed by the lack of progress to end the conflict he once believed could be easily resolved.
When asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said the two “say a lot about getting this done,” but expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that “very great calls” with the Russian president often continue to see catastrophic airstrikes in Ukraine.
“After that, three or four times, the story doesn’t make any sense,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to call him an assassin, but he’s a tough guy. He’s been proven over the years. He’s fooled a lot of people — Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden,” he added. “He didn’t fool me. At some point, I wouldn’t talk, it had to be an action.”
A two-round ceasefire talk took place between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year, but no other meetings have been scheduled so far – Moscow has denounced Kiev.
Ukrainian President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kiev and welcomed a “productive meeting” earlier on Monday.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement, but commentary from Moscow appeared to be relaxed.
Prokremlin critic and former Putin aide Sergey Markov called the tariff announcement “bluff” that showed Trump “give up trying to achieve peace in Ukraine.”
Senator Kosachev argued, “If this was all this, if Trump had to say about Ukraine today, so far, it was nothing.”
Over 50 days, it could change dramatically from “both on the battlefield and the atmosphere of power in the US and NATO.”
Additional Reports by Dearbail Jordan
