Trump gives Russia 50 days to make Ukraine deal or face 100% tariffs
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday (Jul 14) to end its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions as he laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO.
Trump said he was "very, very unhappy" with President Vladimir Putin, underlining his insistence that his patience had finally snapped with the Russian leader's refusal to end his three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
"We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 per cent," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The Republican added that they would be "secondary tariffs" that target Russia's remaining trade partners - seeking to cripple Moscow's ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions. President Donald Trump (right) shakes the hand of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Jul 14, 2025, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
Trump and Rutte also unveiled a deal under which the NATO military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the US, including Patriot anti-missile batteries, and then send them to Ukraine.
"This is really big," said Rutte, as he touted a deal aimed at easing Trump's long-held complaints that the US is paying more than European and NATO allies to aid Ukraine.
Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Britain were among the buyers helping Ukraine, added the NATO chief.
"If I was Vladimir Putin today and heard you speaking ... I would reconsider that I should take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously," said Rutte.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he had spoken with Trump and was "grateful" for the arms deal.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin would play a "decisive role" in the new weapons plan.
But European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Trump's sanctions deadline was too far into the future. "Fifty days is a very long time if we see that they are killing innocent civilians every day," she said.
Trump attempted a rapprochement with Putin shortly after starting his second term, in a bid to honour his election campaign pledge to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.
His pivot towards Putin sparked fears in Kyiv that he was about to sell out Ukraine, especially after Trump and his team berated Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb 28.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
29 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump lands Indonesia trade deal as EU readies retaliation
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jul 15) announced a trade deal with Indonesia, the latest pact in a bid to cement better terms with trading partners and reduce a massive trade deficit, even as the European Union readied retaliatory measures should talks between Washington and its top trading partner fail. 'Great deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia. I dealt directly with their highly respected President. DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!!' Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Indonesia's total trade with the US – totalling just under US$40 billion in 2024 – does not rank in the top 15, but it has been growing. US exports to Indonesia rose 3.7 per cent last year, while imports from there were up 4.8 per cent, leaving the US with a goods trade deficit of nearly US$18 billion. The top US import categories from Indonesia, according to US Census Bureau data retrieved on the International Trade Centre's TradeMap tool, last year were palm oil, electronics equipment including data routers and switches, footwear, car tires, natural rubber and frozen shrimp. Susiwijono Moegiarso, a senior official with Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, told Reuters in a text message: 'We are preparing a joint statement between US and Indonesia that will explain the size of reciprocal tariff for Indonesia including the tariff deal, non-tariff and commercial arrangements. We will inform (the public) soon.' Trump had threatened Indonesia with a 32 per cent tariff rate effective Aug 1 in a letter sent to its president last week. Trump sent similar letters to roughly two dozen trading partners this month, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The Aug 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate agreements that could lower the threatened tariffs. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. Since launching his tariff policy, Trump has clinched only a few deals despite his team touting an effort to bring home '90 deals in 90 days.' So far, framework agreements have been reached with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and an interim deal has been struck with China to forestall the steepest of Trump's tariffs while negotiations continue between Washington and Beijing. EU readies retaliation The breakthrough with Indonesia came as the European Commission, the EU's governing body, gets set to target 72 billion euros (S$107.5 billion) worth of US goods – from Boeing aircraft and bourbon whiskey to cars – for possible tariffs if trade talks with Washington fail. Trump is threatening a 30 per cent tariff on imports from the EU from Aug 1, a level European officials say is unacceptable and would end normal trade between two of the world's largest markets. The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, pre-dates Trump's move over the weekend to ramp up pressure on the 27-nation bloc and responds instead to US duties on cars and car parts and a 10 per cent baseline tariff. The package also covers chemicals, medical devices, electrical and precision equipment as well as agriculture and food products – a range of fruits and vegetables, along with wine, beer and spirits – valued at 6.35 billion euros. Following a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels on Monday, officials said they were still seeking a deal to avoid Trump's heavy tariff blow. But EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said those at the meeting expressed unprecedented resolve to protect EU businesses using European countermeasures if negotiations with Washington fail to produce a deal. REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Trump lands Indonesia trade deal as EU readies retaliation
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jul 15) announced a trade deal with Indonesia, the latest pact in a bid to cement better terms with trading partners and reduce a massive trade deficit, even as the European Union readied retaliatory measures should talks between Washington and its top trading partner fail. "Great deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia. I dealt directly with their highly respected President. DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Indonesia's total trade with the US - totalling just under US$40 billion in 2024 - does not rank in the top 15, but it has been growing. US exports to Indonesia rose 3.7 per cent last year, while imports from there were up 4.8 per cent, leaving the US with a goods trade deficit of nearly US$18 billion. The top US import categories from Indonesia, according to US Census Bureau data retrieved on the International Trade Centre's TradeMap tool, last year were palm oil, electronics equipment including data routers and switches, footwear, car tires, natural rubber and frozen shrimp. Susiwijono Moegiarso, a senior official with Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, told Reuters in a text message: "We are preparing a joint statement between US and Indonesia that will explain the size of reciprocal tariff for Indonesia including the tariff deal, non-tariff and commercial arrangements. We will inform (the public) soon." Trump had threatened the Southeast Asian country with a 32 per cent tariff rate effective Aug 1 in a letter sent to its president last week. Trump sent similar letters to roughly two dozen trading partners this month, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The Aug 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate agreements that could lower the threatened tariffs. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. Since launching his tariff policy, Trump has clinched only a few deals despite his team touting an effort to bring home "90 deals in 90 days". So far, framework agreements have been reached with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and an interim deal has been struck with China to forestall the steepest of Trump's tariffs while negotiations continue between Washington and Beijing. EU READIES RETALIATION The breakthrough with Indonesia came as the European Commission, the EU's governing body, gets set to target €72 billion (US$84.1 billion) worth of US goods - from Boeing aircraft and bourbon whiskey to cars - for possible tariffs if trade talks with Washington fail. Trump is threatening a 30 per cent tariff on imports from the EU from Aug 1, a level European officials say is unacceptable and would end normal trade between two of the world's largest markets. The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, pre-dates Trump's move over the weekend to ramp up pressure on the 27-nation bloc and responds instead to US duties on cars and car parts and a 10 per cent baseline tariff. The package also covers chemicals, medical devices, electrical and precision equipment as well as agriculture and food products - a range of fruits and vegetables, along with wine, beer and spirits - valued at €6.35 billion. Following a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels on Monday, officials said they were still seeking a deal to avoid Trump's heavy tariff blow.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Trump announces Indonesia 'deal' after tariff threats
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jul 15) that he has struck a deal with Indonesia - without providing specifics of the agreement - a week after threatening steeper tariffs on the Southeast Asian country. "Great deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying he dealt with the country's president directly. "DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!!" The Trump administration has been under pressure to finalise trade pacts with other economies after promising a flurry of deals as countries sought to avoid the president's tariff threats. But Washington has so far only unveiled deals with Britain and Vietnam, alongside an agreement to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China. Last week, Trump renewed his threat of a 32 per cent levy on Indonesian goods, saying in a letter to the country's leadership that this level would take effect Aug 1. Trump in April imposed a 10 per cent tariff on almost all US trading partners, while announcing plans to hike this level for dozens of economies including the European Union and Indonesia.
