President Trump Threatens Russia With 100 Percent Tariff If There Is No Ukraine Peace Agreement

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump on Monday threatened Russia with a secondary tariff "100 percent" if it failed to reach an agreement to end Ukraine's war in 50 days.

Speaking with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Room of the White House, President Trump said he was "disappointed" against President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine continues.

"We will apply the secondary tariff if there is no agreement in 50 days. It is very easy, and the rate will be 100 percent, and that's how it is," Trump said, quoted from The National July 15.

"I take advantage of trade for many things. However, trade is also very good to solve war," he said.

Flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Foreign Minister and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, as well as special envoy to Middle East Steve Witkoff, President Trump called President Putin "resilient".

"I don't want to say he's a murderer, but he's a tough guy," he said, adding that he had "tricked" his predecessors.

The US President has taken a tougher stance on Russia in recent weeks, along with Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. In April, President Trump urged President Putin to "CONTINUE!" launched a deadly attack on Kyiv.

The following month, he said in a social media post that the Russian leader "was REALLY CRAZY!"

Responding to a question from The National, President Trump said "I feel we have reached an agreement about four times, and here we are still talking about it".

Meanwhile, Secretary General Rutte said Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada had expressed their desire to participate in support for Ukraine to immediately receive "large" military equipment, including air defense weapons, missiles, and ammunition.

"If I were Vladimir Putin today, and you talked about what you would do in 50 days, I would reconsider whether I shouldn't take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously than I am at the moment," he said.

"But when I was in Ukraine, I thought this was very good news for them," he said.

The Russian-Ukraine war began in February 2022, when Russian troops invaded Ukrainian territory.

President Trump also told reporters the US would build weapons to be delivered to NATO countries in Europe. This system will replenish supplies that have been sent to Ukraine from Europe. European countries will pay for the system, Trump stressed.

"We made the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of all" European countries know that, and we have made an agreement today," he said.

"The billions of dollars worth of military equipment will be purchased from the United States and it will soon be distributed to Ukraine," he said.

This decision marks a significant change in President Trump's handling of Russia since he returned to office in January.

The US has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia regarding the war in Ukraine during that period.

Previously, the US imposed various sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine under former president Joe Biden, in line with Britain, the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

The US has imposed sanctions on large numbers of Russian sectors, including its energy industry and banking systems, with access to banking into the international financial system severely restricted.