Arms for Ukraine and an ultimatum for Russia

Donald Trump reverses course, sending weapons to Ukraine and threatening Russia with tariffs

Donald Trump and Mark Rutte
After an Oval Office meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Trump said NATO allies had agreed to buy "a full complement" of U.S. weapons.
(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)

What happened

In a surprise turnaround on the Ukraine war, President Trump said this week that the U.S. would continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and would inflict economic pain on Russia if it failed to make a peace deal. After an Oval Office meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Trump said NATO allies had agreed to buy "a full complement" of U.S. weapons—including Patriot missile batteries—to give to Ukraine, portraying the deal as lucrative for the U.S. And he said that if Russia did not agree to a cease-fire within 50 days, he would apply tariffs of 100% on countries, like China and India, that import Russian oil and other goods. Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with the duplicity of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "My conversations with him are always very pleasant," he said, "and then the missiles go off that night." On a recent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reportedly floated the idea of Ukraine striking Moscow and St. Petersburg, although this week he walked that back and said Zelensky should not do so.

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