“`html
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will provide “top-of-the-line weapons” to Ukraine through NATO countries, while also issuing a warning to Russia in the form of significant tariffs if a resolution to the conflict is not achieved within 50 days.
“We want to ensure Ukraine has the capacity to pursue its objectives,” Trump stated following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington.
Rutte confirmed that the U.S. has decided to “substantially supply Ukraine with necessary resources through NATO,” with European nations covering the associated costs.
European countries will provide Kyiv with their own Patriot air defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to counter Russian air strikes, and the U.S. will then provide replacements, according to Trump.
Neither Rutte nor Trump specified the exact weaponry to be sent to Kyiv, but Rutte indicated that the deal includes “missiles and ammunition.”
However, the president did state that “top-of-the-line weapons” valued at billions of dollars would be “rapidly distributed to the battlefield” to support Ukraine.
“If I were Vladimir Putin today… I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously,” Rutte said, as Trump nodded in agreement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Twitter that he spoke with Trump after his meeting with Rutte, and thanked him for his “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace.”
“We discussed the necessary means and solutions with the President to provide better protection for people from Russian attacks and to strengthen our positions. We are ready to work as productively as possible to achieve peace,” he said.
Regarding tariffs, Trump indicated that the U.S. would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.
This would mean any country that engages in trade with Russia would face the tax if they wish to sell their products to the U.S.
For instance, if India continues to purchase oil from Russia, U.S. companies that buy Indian goods would be required to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products arrive in the U.S.
This would likely make the goods prohibitively expensive, leading U.S. businesses to source them from elsewhere, resulting in a loss of revenue for India.
The intention is also to weaken Russia’s economy. Theoretically, if Moscow were unable to generate revenue by selling oil to other nations, it would have fewer resources to finance its war in Ukraine.
Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow’s state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could significantly impact Russia’s finances.
However, the Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely because investors anticipated Trump – who had previously teased a “major statement” on Russia – would pledge even more severe measures.
Although details regarding both the tariffs and the NATO weapons deal were limited, Monday marked the first time Trump pledged new military equipment for Ukraine since returning to the White House.
The briefing was also noteworthy for the tone adopted by the U.S. president, whose rhetoric concerning Vladimir Putin has become increasingly critical.
Not for the first time, Trump implied Kyiv shared some responsibility for Russia’s decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, he mostly appeared frustrated by the lack of progress in ending a conflict that he once seemed to believe could be easily resolved.
When asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump stated that the two speak “a lot about getting this thing done” but expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that “very nice phone calls” with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine, which have been increasing in intensity and frequency.
“After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn’t mean anything,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to call him an assassin but he’s a tough guy. It’s been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden,” he added. “He didn’t fool me. At a certain point talk doesn’t talk, it’s got to be action.”
Two rounds of ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year, but no other meetings have been scheduled thus far – something Moscow has attributed to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky is currently hosting U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a “productive meeting” – saying he was “grateful” to Trump for his support.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement, but commentary emerging from Moscow appeared to indicate a sense of relief.
Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement “a bluff” that suggested Trump had “given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine.”
Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that “if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it’s been much ado about nothing.”
In 50 days, a lot could change “both on the battlefield and in the moods of the powers that be in the US and Nato,” Kosachev wrote.
Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan
The heavy rain has forced rescuers to halt search operations for victims of the deadly floods that occurred in the region just over a week ago.
Tens of thousands of acres of land have been burned by two separate wildfires in the US state of Arizona.
The cause of the deadly blaze in the town of Fall River, south of Boston, remains under investigation.
The suspect, who was shot dead by police, is believed to have had a connection to the place of worship.
Sesame Street says Elmo’s account was hacked and the posts have been removed.
“`