Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'

What happened

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine via NATO countries, in a package expected to include Patriot air defense batteries. He also threatened Russia with "severe tariffs" of up to 100% if there isn't a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, and said the U.S. could impose "secondary sanctions" on Russia's oil customers.

Speaking after a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Trump said he was "very unhappy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose "very nice phone calls" are often followed by air strikes on Ukraine.

Who said what

The tariff threats are "toothless," said CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, as there is "almost no trade to penalize." But the weapons decision is "still a milestone," said The Wall Street Journal, as it "marks the first time the White House has agreed to furnish weapons for Ukraine" beyond those approved by former President Biden. New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the announcement "positive, but overdue."

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What next?

Trump said the weapons would be "quickly distributed to the battlefield." To change the trajectory of the war, "substantial deliveries would have to be carried out through the summer," Celeste Wallander, a former senior Pentagon official, told the Journal.