President Donald Trump has promised to impose 100% tariffs on countries trading with Russia if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace with Ukraine in 50 days.
“I’m disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. “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 at 100%.”
A White House official added sanctions would also be slapped on Russia within 50 days, but declined to detail the rate.
Trump, contending that trade is “great for settling wars,” defended the timeframe, arguing “it’s a very short period of time.”
“I have been involved in this not very long,” he said. “This is a [former President Joe] Biden war, a Democrat war, not a Republican or Trump war.”
When pressed on whether Congress should proceed with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) proposal of a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, and uranium, Trump said he was unsure whether “we need it, but it’s certainly good that they’re doing it.”
“It could be very useful. We will have to see,” he said. “The 500% is sort of meaningless after a while.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is expected at the White House later Monday to discuss the Graham-Blumenthal bill.
Trump made the threat alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office after pledging last week that the United States would provide NATO allies with more weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot batteries and missiles.
“We made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” he said. “The United States will not be having any payment made. We’re not buying it but we will manufacture it and they will be paying for it.”
During the press conference, Trump reiterated his frustration with Putin, saying he thought “we had a deal about four times.”
“I’ve been hearing so much talk,” he said. “It’s all talk. It’s all talk. And then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people. It’s got to stop.”
Trump additionally expressed a similar sentiment with a reporter who asked whether he would be prepared to escalate his response if Putin continues the war.
“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he said of Putin, adding Putin “fooled” former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, “but he didn’t fool me.”
UKRAINE BENEFITS FROM TRUMP’S FRUSTRATION WITH PUTIN, BUT VOLATILITY REMAINS
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conveyed his thanks to the Trump and NATO for the support.
“I am grateful to President Trump for his readiness to help protect our people’s lives,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “This war continues solely because of Russia, because of Putin’s desire to drag it out. Russia is trying to make the war seem like the ‘new normal.’ We must never put up with this. Everything humanly possible must be done to force Russia to stop the killings, to achieve real peace, and to ensure security.”
