US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to impose 100% import tariffs on Russia if a deal on a ceasefire in Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.
Trump made the announcement from the Oval Office during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The US President plans to introduce “secondary tariffs” against Russia, stating that these could take the form of import duties as high as 100%, although he also speculated on potentially higher rates when questioned by a journalist: “It could be 102 or even 500%,” Trump mentioned, in a reference to a proposal made by members of his Republican party.
He expressed disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he felt “misled” during negotiations. “I thought we had a deal four times already,” Trump said.”We could have had a deal a long time ago. People keep dying.”
Rutte supplemented Trump’s remarks by stating that Putin has been causing “hundreds of thousands of Russian deaths since January.” He said he hoped Moscow was listening now.
Trump aims to pressure Putin into a ceasefire with the threat of tariffs. He commented that trade was a great way to settle wars.
Finally, Trump described Putin as a “tough guy” who has “fooled many people,” including former presidents. “But he doesn’t fool me. In the end, talking achieves nothing. It has to be about action and results,” Trump concluded.
