Trump threatens Russia with tariffs and boosts U.S. weapons for Ukraine

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened Russia with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration about unsuccessful negotiations for ending the war.

The latest steps reflect an evolving approach from the Republican president, who promised to swiftly resolve the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he invaded Ukraine three years ago. Trump once focused his criticism on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he described as unwilling to compromise, but more recently has expressed growing irritation toward Putin.

“My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump said. He complained that “it just keeps going on and on and on.”

Trump said he would implement “severe tariffs” unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but he described them as secondary tariffs, meaning they would target Russia’s trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.

In addition, Trump said European allies would buy “billions and billions” of dollars of U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine, replenishing the besieged country’s supplies of weapons. He made the announcement in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Included in the plan are Patriot air defense systems, a top priority for Ukraine as it fends off Russian drones and missiles.

Doubts were recently raised about Trump’s commitment to supply Ukraine when the Pentagon paused shipments over concerns that U.S. stockpiles were running low.

Rutte said Germany, Finland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark would be among the buyers to supply Ukraine. He said “speed is of the essence here,” and he suggested that some weapons would be rushed to Ukraine and later replaced with purchases from the U.S.

Later Monday, Zelenskyy posted about having spoken with Trump by phone and said he “discussed the necessary means and solutions with the President to provide better protection for people from Russian attacks and to strengthen our positions.”

Zelenskyy added that Trump had “agreed to catch up more often by phone and coordinate our steps in the future.”

President Donald Trump said he is “finding it difficult” to deal with Ukraine in trying to end the war and that he is “doing very well with Russia.”

Great Job Chris Megerian and Illia Novikov l NBC News & the Team @ NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Source link for sharing this story.

#FROUSA #HillCountryNews #NewBraunfels #ComalCounty #LocalVoices #IndependentMedia

Felicia Ray Owens
Felicia Ray Owenshttps://feliciarayowens.com
Felicia Ray Owens is a media founder, cultural strategist, and civic advocate who creates platforms where power meets lived truth. As the voice behind C4: Coffee. Cocktails. Culture. Conversation and the founder of FROUSA Media, she uses storytelling, public dialogue, and organizing to spotlight the issues that matter most—locally and nationally. A longtime advocate for community wellness and political engagement, Felicia brings experience as a former Precinct Chair and former Chief Communications Officer of Indivisible Hill Country. Her work bridges culture, activism, and healing through curated spaces designed to inspire real change. Learn more at FROUSA.org

Latest articles

Related articles

Leave a reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter Your First & Last Name here

Leave the field below empty!

spot_imgspot_img