WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose severe tariffs on Russia if a deal to end the war in Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.
Trump made the announcement during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, signaling a potential shift in U.S. policy toward the three-year conflict.
“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Trump said. He did not offer specifics on how or when the tariffs would be enforced. “I use trade for a lot of things,” he added. “But it's great for settling wars.”
The president’s comments come as his special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. According to Zelenskyy, the two discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, joint arms production, and the possibility of new international sanctions against the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy, speaking on Telegram, said he hopes the U.S. will take the lead in pushing back against Moscow’s aggression. “It is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ambitions are stopped by force,” he said.
Trump has made ending the war a top diplomatic priority and has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite previously touting their strong relationship. In recent months, Trump has publicly condemned Putin’s continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
“I am very disappointed with President Putin,” Trump said Sunday. “He’ll talk so beautifully and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.”
Though Trump once criticized Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections,” recent developments suggest a hardening U.S. stance against Moscow. Rutte is also scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and congressional leaders this week.
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