In meeting with NATO chief, US president says he is disappointed in Vladimir Putin
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia if a deal on ending the war in Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.
Speaking during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Oval Office, Trump said he was “very unhappy” with Russia and disappointed in President Vladimir Putin.
“I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there,” Trump said.
“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 100%.”
Calling the Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, former President Joe “Biden's war,” Trump said: “I would like to see it end. It wasn't my war ... I'm trying to get you out of it.”
He also announced that the US will supply Ukraine with weapons through NATO, but added that European allies will cover the full cost.
“We made a deal today … We are going to be sending them weapons that they are going to be paying for. The United States will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it,” he said.
Rutte confirmed the arrangement, saying: “The US has decided to indeed massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through NATO. Europeans (are) 100% paying for that.”
- Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Trump also confirmed that US Patriot missile systems would be delivered to Ukraine “within days.”
“We're going to have some come very soon, within days,” he said. “A couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and we'll replace the Patriots with the ones they have. And Mark (Rutte) will coordinate with NATO.”
"We have one country that has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped," without specifying which country it was. "They're not going to need it for them. So we're going to work a deal where the 17 will go up ... That could be done very quickly.”
Separately, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday, and the two discussed strengthening air defense, joint arms production, and sanctions.
“We hope for U.S. leadership, as it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its unreasonable ambitions are curbed through strength,” Zelenskyy wrote on X following the meeting.
