President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States will supply Ukraine with "billions of dollars" in advanced weaponry through NATO allies, escalating pressure on Moscow by threatening to impose 100% tariffs on Russian imports if no peace deal is reached within the next 50 days. The statements, delivered during a high-profile Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, underscore growing U.S. frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin and signal a potential turning point in the 40-month-old war in Ukraine.
Trump, who has previously shown caution about imposing additional sanctions on Russia, voiced deep disappointment in Putin's refusal to move toward a settlement. "I am very disappointed with President Putin," Trump told reporters. "I thought he was somebody that meant what he said. And he'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." He added, "We've spent $250 billion on this war ... and we want to see it end. I am disappointed in Putin because I thought we'd have a deal two months ago."
The president confirmed that the new weapons transfer, which could include sophisticated systems such as Patriot air defense batteries and high-end ballistic missiles, will be fully funded by European partners under a NATO framework. "We made a deal today where we will be sending weapons to [Ukraine] and NATO will be paying for it," Trump said. Rutte, who is in Washington for talks with U.S. leadership, echoed this sentiment, stating that European countries should be "stepping up" to cover costs for American-made armaments.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons Ukraine is seeking are already deployed with NATO allies in Europe and could be transferred quickly. "It's a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a [US] factory and get it there," Rubio told reporters during the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome that Germany will fund two Patriot systems, while Norway has agreed to supply one. "Other European partners have also said they are prepared to help," Zelenskyy said. Following repeated Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities on Friday announced a $5.3 million investment in the Clear Sky project, a new comprehensive drone interception system that will include advanced interceptors, operator training, and mobile response units.
Trump's message to Moscow was clear: if the Kremlin fails to agree to a truce within the next 50 days, Washington will escalate economic pressure by introducing 100% tariffs on Russian goods and authorizing secondary sanctions targeting those doing business with Moscow. "We're very unhappy with Russia and we'll be doing very severe tariffs ... at about 100%," Trump stated.
The president's move comes amid mounting criticism of Putin's approach to negotiations. "I'm disappointed in [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there," Trump said, accusing Putin of stalling and "throwing bulls**t at Washington."
