Trump: "If no agreement on Ukraine war in 50 days, harsh tariffs on Russia"

[Financial News] Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced on the 14th (local time) that the US would support Ukraine, which is resisting Russia's invasion war, with not only air defense weapons but also large-scale offensive weapons.
President Trump also stated, "If an agreement (to end the Ukraine war) is not reached within 50 days, very harsh second tariffs will be imposed (on Russia)," indicating that the tariff rate would be around 100%. This is a threat to impose tariffs on Russia and secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia. 
President Trump mentioned this during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, saying to reporters, "We have signed a contract with NATO today."
He emphasized, "Under the agreement signed today, NATO will bear the costs," and "We will produce top-grade weapons and send them to NATO."
US internet media Axios reported, "The US will sell about $10 billion (13.836 trillion won) worth of weapons to NATO allies in the first sale." This marks a significant shift from the previous policy of being passive in providing weapons to Ukraine.
However, President Trump chose a method where the US does not directly provide weapons to Ukraine, but NATO purchases US-made weapons and provides them to Ukraine, thereby generating profit through arms sales without deviating significantly from his original stance.
Meanwhile, he also threatened to isolate Russia from the global trade system by imposing high tariffs not only on Russia but also on Russia's trading partners if Russia does not hasten a peace agreement.
He added, "I use trade for many things," and "(Tariffs) are also excellent for resolving wars."
Regarding President Trump's 'harsh tariffs' remark, a White House official interpreted it as meaning imposing a 100% tariff on Russia and corresponding secondary tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil.
President Trump reiterated that "This is not a war of the Republicans or Trump, but a war of (Joe) Biden (former president) and the Democrats," emphasizing that he has no intention of directly engaging in the war.
After taking office for his second term, President Trump has been trying to broker a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but recently expressed dissatisfaction with repeated failures due to Russian President Vladimir Putin, hinting at providing weapons to Ukraine.
At the White House Faith Office luncheon held in the afternoon, he also said, "I thought the negotiations were concluded several times. Even when I went home, I told the First Lady, 'I had a great conversation with Putin, and it's over now,' but she said, 'Wow, that's strange. Russia just bombed a nurse (at the hospital)...'" expressing his dissatisfaction with Putin once again.
He stated, "We will supply them (NATO) with a large quantity of various types of weapons, and they will immediately deliver those weapons to the battlefield, to various fronts," and "All of this was made possible because when I visited there (NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands) a month ago, they raised the defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP."
Secretary-General Rutte explained regarding this agreement, "This means that Ukraine can secure not only air defense systems but also missiles, ammunition, and other large-scale military equipment."
Secretary-General Rutte also mentioned that Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, and Canada are showing their intention to participate in the plan to send military equipment purchased from the US to Ukraine, adding, "Some countries may quickly move the equipment to Ukraine, and the US can replenish (the weapons) later. Speed is the most important factor."







june@fnnews.com Lee Seok-woo Reporter