Trump threatens Russia with 100% secondary tariffs if no deal on Ukraine in 50 days
'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 per cent and that's the way it is,' Mr Trump said. He added: 'I use trade for a lot of things. But it's great for settling wars.'
The US President has taken a harder line on Russia in recent weeks as it has pounded Ukrainian cities. In April, Mr Trump urged Mr Putin to 'STOP!' launching deadly barrages on Kyiv. The following month, he said in a social media post that the Russian leader 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!' In response to a question from The National, Mr Trump said that 'I felt that we had a deal about four times, and here we are still talking about it'.
The Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukrainian territory. The President also told reporters that the US would be building weapons that would be sent to European Nato countries. These systems would replenish supplies that had been sent to Ukraine from Europe. European countries would pay for the systems, Mr Trump emphasised.
'We make the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of everything – the European nations know that, and we've made a deal today,' he said. 'Billions of dollars' worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States … and that's going to be quickly distributed to Ukraine.'
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