In a dramatic escalation aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to impose 100% tariffs on any country that continues to do business with Moscow if a peace agreement is not reached within the next 50 days.
“We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don’t have a deal within 50 days. It’s very simple. And they’ll be at 100%,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The move would mark the first use of full-scale secondary sanctions by the United States to punish global economic engagement with Russia — potentially straining relations with China, India, and other nations that have maintained or expanded trade with Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Trump Frustrated with Putin: “Talk Doesn’t Mean Anything”
Trump also expressed growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that despite several phone calls between the two leaders, Russia’s military actions have continued.
“I always hang up, say, ‘Well, that was a nice phone call.’ And then missiles are launched into Kyiv,” Trump said. “After that happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn’t mean anything.”
Although stopping short of calling Putin an “assassin,” Trump said the Russian leader is “a tough guy” who has fooled past presidents — but not him.
“Ultimately, talk doesn’t talk. It’s got to be action. It’s got to be results,” he added.
NATO to Pay for U.S.-Made Weapons to Ukraine
Trump and Rutte also announced a new arms arrangement, under which NATO countries will purchase American-made weapons to be delivered to Ukraine. The Pentagon had previously paused shipments earlier this month, but Trump reversed that decision last week.
“We’ve made a deal today where we’re going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” Trump said. “We’re not buying it, but we will manufacture it.”
Rutte applauded the plan:
“You want Ukraine to have what it needs to defend itself, but you want Europeans to pay for it — which is totally logical.”
The new model allows Ukraine to receive weapons quickly while removing the financial burden from U.S. taxpayers — a policy Trump emphasized repeatedly during his second-term campaign.
Congressional Allies Push Stronger Sanctions
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, is pushing legislation to enable tariffs of up to 500% on any country aiding Russia.
“We’re going after the people who keep Putin in business,” Graham told CBS’s Face the Nation. “This is truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end this war.”
Graham called the moment a “turning point” in the conflict and suggested that selling U.S. weapons to NATO could both bolster Ukraine and benefit the American defense industry.
Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), another Republican voice backing stronger measures, reiterated his call to convert seized Russian central bank assets into a trust fund for Ukraine’s recovery.
“I think it’s time for the president to convert those seized assets to a trust account for the benefit of Ukraine,” Hill said.
Historic and Risky Territory
If implemented, the new tariffs would represent the most aggressive use of secondary sanctions in modern U.S. history. While the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Iran and North Korea with limited global backing, applying 100% tariffs on nations trading with a major power like Russia risks destabilizing global trade and further inflaming tensions with China and India.
Former U.S. officials say the Biden administration refrained from fully seizing Russian state assets during its term due to concerns from European allies about potential backlash in the global banking system.
Trump’s announcement signals a sharper break with European caution — and a determination to force an end to the war through economic coercion.