(The Center Square) – The U.S. and NATO allies will be putting the squeeze on Russia in the form of tariffs and selling NATO weapons to assist Ukraine, President Donald Trump announced during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump is giving Russia 50 days to make peace with Ukraine before the U.S. implements 100% tariffs on the country.
In addition, the president announced plans for the U.S. to sell military weapons to NATO, which may be used to support Ukraine, Trump announced during a meeting with the NATO chief in the Oval Office Monday morning.
Trump underscored that the U.S. is done financially backing the ongoing war, instead shifting responsibility to NATO, despite Ukraine not being a NATO member.
“We make the best equipment, the best missiles … the European nations know that … We’ve made a deal today where we’re going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them. The United States will not be having any payment made,” Trump told reporters. “[NATO] is paying for everything. We are not paying anymore. We have an ocean separating us…we cannot keep doing this. Biden should have done this years ago.”
The deal with NATO comes weeks after the annual NATO summit in the Netherlands, at which the group of nations agreed to commit 5% of their annual GDP to defense.
During the meeting, the president expressed his unhappiness with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he has had several “lovely” conversations with Putin only to have him turn around and continue to attack Ukraine. Trump appeared exasperated with Putin.
“We hope it will have an impact on Vladimir Putin … I’m not happy with President Putin at all,” Trump said.
While the president announced that he will impose 100% tariffs on Russia if Putin doesn’t cease his assault on Ukraine, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared to clarify the president’s earlier statements, calling them instead “sanctions.”
“So it’s economic sanctions, not a sanction,” Lutnick told reporters. “You can also make an economic penalty: if I catch you doing it, then you’ll have to pay … You can do tariffs or you can do sanctions, those are both tools in his toolbox.”
Trump, who has been trying to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine since taking office for the second time, hopes this will be a way to achieve peace.
“I think this is a chance at getting peace … Europe has a lot of spirit for this war…they really think it’s a very, very important thing to do or they wouldn’t be doing it,” said the president.
