{"id":3850,"date":"2025-07-15T10:25:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viewworld.org\/?p=3850"},"modified":"2025-07-15T10:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:25:55","slug":"trump-threatens-russia-with-tariffs-and-boosts-us-weapons-for-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.viewworld.org\/?p=3850","title":{"rendered":"Trump threatens Russia with tariffs and boosts US weapons for Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> on Monday threatened Russia with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration about unsuccessful negotiations for ending the war<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest steps reflect an evolving approach from the Republican president, who promised to swiftly resolve the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a> when he invaded Ukraine three years ago. Trump once focused his criticism on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a>, whom he described as unwilling to compromise, but more recently has expressed growing irritation toward Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,\u201d Trump said. He complained that \u201cit just keeps going on and on and on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump said he would implement \u201csevere tariffs\u201d unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but he described them as secondary tariffs, meaning they would target Russia\u2019s trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Trump said European allies would buy \u201cbillions and billions\u201d of dollars of U.S. military equipment\u00a0to be transferred to Ukraine<\/a>, replenishing the besieged country\u2019s supplies of weapons. He made the announcement in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included in the plan are Patriot air defense systems, a top priority for Ukraine as it fends off Russian drones<\/a> and missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doubts were recently raised about Trump\u2019s commitment to supply Ukraine when the Pentagon paused shipments<\/a> over concerns that U.S. stockpiles were running low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rutte said Germany, Finland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark would be among the buyers to supply Ukraine. He said \u201cspeed is of the essence here,\u201d and he suggested that some weapons would be rushed to Ukraine and later replaced with purchases from the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later Monday, Zelenskyy<\/a> posted about having spoken with Trump by phone and said he \u201cdiscussed the necessary means and solutions with the President to provide better protection for people from Russian attacks and to strengthen our positions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelenskyy added that Trump had \u201cagreed to catch up more often by phone and coordinate our steps in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump exasperated with Putin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and he repeatedly asserted that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. He also accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war and called him a \u201cdictator without elections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Russia\u2019s relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Trump\u2019s patience. In April, Trump urged Putin to \u201cSTOP!\u201d launching deadly barrages on Kyiv, and the following month said in a social media post that the Russian leader \u201chas gone absolutely CRAZY!\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Rutte was in Washington, Trump\u2019s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg<\/a>, met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelenskyy said he had \u201ca productive conversation\u201d with Kellogg about strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, joint arms production and purchasing U.S. weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its … ambitions are stopped by force,\u201d Zelenskyy said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talks on sending Patriot missiles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv<\/a>, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine\u2019s air defenses are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Russia\u2019s bigger army is making a new effort<\/a> to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump confirmed the U.S. is sending Ukraine more badly needed Patriot air defense missiles<\/a> and that the European Union will pay the U.S. for the \u201cvarious pieces of very sophisticated\u201d weaponry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A senior Russian lawmaker, Konstantin Kosachev, said Trump\u2019s plan had \u201conly one beneficiary \u2014 the US military-industrial complex.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germany has offered to finance two Patriot systems, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Monday in Berlin. The country has already given three of its own Patriot systems to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was traveling to Washington on Monday to meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are determined to assume greater responsibility for Europe\u2019s deterrence and defense, while recognizing that the contribution of the United States of America remains indispensable to our collective security,\u201d Pistorius told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Weapons flowing at a record level\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham<\/a> of South Carolina, said Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Trump had previously dismissed the effort as a waste of U.S. taxpayer money, Graham told CBS\u2019 \u201cFace the Nation\u201d that \u201cyou\u2019ll see weapons flowing at a record level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there\u2019s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin\u2019s envoy for international investment who took part in talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia in February, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConstructive dialogue between Russia and the United States is more effective than doomed-to-fail attempts at pressure,\u201d Dmitriev said in a post on Telegram. \u201cThis dialogue will continue, despite titanic efforts to disrupt it by all possible means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Trump proposed targeting Russia with new tariffs, he expressed doubts about bipartisan legislation<\/a> to punish the country even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure we need it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could be very useful. We\u2019ll have to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation increases sanctions and places 500% tariffs on products imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other exports. Trump on Monday proposed unilaterally implementing 100% tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI use trade for a lot of things,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s great for settling wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Dec. 5, 2022, when the European Union banned Russian oil, China has bought 47% of Russia\u2019s crude oil exports, followed by India at 38%. Turkey and the EU have each accounted for 6%, according to the Centre for Research and Clean Air, a Finnish nonprofit that tracks the energy industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow in China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, doubted that tariffs would change the course of the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOil is fungible, and Russia has developed a nimble shadow fleet,\u201d he said. \u201cSo enforcement would be a challenge.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the tariffs could still have a dramatic effect, depending on how they\u2019re implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding a 100% tariff on China, on top of import taxes already in place, would essentially halt trade between the United States and China, the world\u2019s two largest economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the co-sponsors of the sanctions package working its way through Congress, Graham and Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, praised Trump for having \u201cmade a powerful move.\u201d They also defended their legislation, noting, \u201cThe benefit of our approach is that it blends congressional authorization of tariffs and sanctions with flexibility for presidential implementation, making it rock solid legally and politically.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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