NAIROBI, Kenya – Donald Trump is making it clear: he’s ready to arm Ukraine with what he calls “top-of-the-line weapons”—but with a catch.
If Russia doesn’t sit down for peace talks within 50 days, the U.S. will slam its trade partners with crushing 100pc tariffs.
Trump announced the dramatic dual-pronged approach following a high-stakes meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Washington, signaling a sharp turn in his rhetoric and policy toward both Russia and Ukraine.
“We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do,” Trump said, standing alongside Rutte, who confirmed that Europe will fund the transfer of advanced weaponry to Kyiv through NATO, with U.S. support.
Under the plan, European allies will send their own Patriot air defense systems—critical to repelling Russia’s increasingly lethal air strikes. The U.S. will then replenish those systems for Europe.
Though specifics on the full package were scarce, both leaders indicated the deal includes missiles and ammunition. Trump added that billions worth of high-grade military equipment would be “quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
“If I were Vladimir Putin today… I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously,” Rutte warned, as Trump nodded in agreement.
But the U.S. president wasn’t just dishing out firepower—he was also threatening economic shockwaves. Trump unveiled a bold tariff threat that would target any nation still doing business with Moscow. The message? Choose Russia, and you’ll pay dearly at the U.S. border.
If no peace deal is reached within 50 days, the U.S. will impose 100pc secondary tariffs on all goods from countries that maintain trade ties with Russia. The move is designed to squeeze Moscow’s economy by making it harder to earn revenue from allies like India, which continues to buy Russian oil.
The math is simple: if American companies have to pay double to import goods from India because of its Russian ties, they’ll likely shop elsewhere—costing India billions and tightening the noose around the Kremlin’s war chest.
Given oil and gas generate over 60pc of Russia’s export earnings, and nearly a third of state revenue, the policy could deal a serious blow. But oddly enough, markets didn’t flinch. The Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement—perhaps because investors expected Trump to go even further.
Still, the messaging was notably tougher. Trump, once seen as sympathetic to Vladimir Putin, called out the Russian leader for undermining peace talks with deadly follow-up strikes.
“After that happens three or four times, you say: the talk doesn’t mean anything,” Trump said, referencing the “very nice phone calls” he’s had with Putin. “I don’t want to call him an assassin—but he’s a tough guy… He didn’t fool me.”
As for diplomacy, there’s been little movement. Two rounds of ceasefire talks took place earlier this year, but none since. Moscow blames Kyiv for the stall.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Monday, describing it as a “productive meeting” and expressing gratitude for U.S. support.
In Moscow, reactions ranged from skeptical to dismissive. Former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariff warning “a bluff,” while Senator Konstantin Kosachev dismissed the announcement as “much ado about nothing.”
Kosachev added that much could change in 50 days—not just on the battlefield, but within the geopolitical mood music of Washington and NATO headquarters.
With global tensions rising and no end to the war in sight, Trump’s latest play may be as much about pressure as it is about optics. One thing’s certain: the clock is ticking.
