A major shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Moscow was made clear on Sunday as President Donald Trump announced a new hardline approach, coinciding with the visit of NATO’s new Secretary General, Mark Rutte, to Washington.
Trump warned that he will impose “very severe” tariffs on Russia if an agreement to end the invasion of Ukraine is not reached within the next 50 days. These tariffs, he said, could reach 100%, aiming to pressure the Kremlin into de-escalating the war.
“I’m disappointed with President Putin because I thought we were going to have a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t look like we’re getting there. So, based on that, we’ll implement secondary tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days. It’s very simple—and they’ll be 100%. I hope we don’t have to do it,” Trump told reporters.
The Republican, long accused of being soft on the Kremlin, had already hinted at a policy pivot. That shift has become more evident in recent weeks, as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian territory and Trump expresses growing frustration over Putin’s failure to uphold promises of a truce.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. special envoy, retired General Keith Kellogg. According to Zelensky, the meeting focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, joint weapons production with Europe, and further sanctions against Russia and its supporters.