US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose “very, very heavy” tariffs of up to 100% on Russia and its trading partners if a deal is not reached within 50 days to end the Ukraine conflict.
He made the warning during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Monday.
“We are very, very unhappy with Russia. If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, we are going to have very heavy tariffs,” Trump said.
He blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for dragging Washington into the conflict, noting that the United States has spent roughly $350 billion in aid to Ukraine.
He pointed out that if Russia does not respond positively to Ukraine, secondary US tariffs will be imposed on the country, and that congressional approval is not required.
He also said that secondary tariffs may also have to be introduced for countries that do business with a country that the US has imposed sanctions on.