Donald Trump has once again expressed his disappointment with Russian president Vladimir Putin and announced 100 per cent sanctions on Russia as he pledged more weapons for Ukraine, including 17 Patriot missiles which Kyiv has urgently sought.
“We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs,” the US president said, announcing sanctions on countries who trade with Moscow. “If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, it’s very simple, and they’ll be at 100 per cent,” the US president said, adding that he was disappointed in Mr Putin.
Mr Trump announced that billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine, and said: “We’re going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they’ll be sent to Nato.”
“We have one country that has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped… we’re going to work a deal where the 17 will go or a big portion of the 17 will go to the war site,” he said, adding that some will “come very soon, within days”.
Mr Trump has grown increasingly disenchanted with Mr Putin after he resisted Washington’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump says his sanctions threat is led by frustration with Putin
Donald Trump said his shift in imposing punitive actions on Russia was motivated by frustration with Vladimir Putin.
“We actually had probably four times a deal. And then the deal wouldn’t happen because bombs would be thrown out that night and you’d say we’re not making any deals,” Mr Trump said.
Last week he said, “We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin.”
Since returning to the White House promising a quick end to the war, Mr Trump has sought rapprochement with Moscow, speaking several times with Mr Putin.
His administration has pulled back from pro-Ukrainian policies such as backing Kyiv’s membership in Nato and demanding Russia withdraw from all Ukrainian territory.
But the Russian leader has yet to accept a proposal from Mr Trump for an unconditional ceasefire, which was quickly endorsed by Kyiv. Recent days have seen Russia use hundreds of drones to attack Ukrainian cities.
Trump is looking at making money out of Nato – not saving Ukraine
With the secretary general of Nato sitting next to him in the Oval Office, the US president warned that Russia would face “100 per cent” tariffs if it did not agree to a ceasefire with Kyiv inside 50 days.
He went on to criticise Putin several times for his warm approach and manner on the telephone which he then followed up by renewed missile attacks on Ukraine.
“I wouldn’t call him an assassin, but I would call him a very tough guy,” he said of the Russian president.
Trump pledges more Patriots for Ukraine in coming days
US president Donald Trump has said billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine, including more than a dozen Patriot air defence missiles.
“We’re going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they’ll be sent to Nato,” Mr Trump said, adding that Washington’s Nato allies would pay for them.
The weapons would include Patriot air defence missiles Ukraine has urgently sought, he said.
“It’s a full complement with the batteries,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to have some come very soon, within days.”
“We have one country that has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped… we’re going to work a deal where the 17 will go or a big portion of the 17 will go to the war site,” he said.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, who was sitting alongside Mr Trump in the Oval Office, said Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada all wanted to be a part of rearming Ukraine.
‘Trump did not go as far as Russian markets had feared’
Artyom Nikolayev, an analyst from financial information firm Invest Era, said the US president Donald Trump did not go as far as Russian markets had feared.
“Trump performed below market expectations. He gave 50 days during which the Russian leadership can come up with something and extend the negotiation track. Moreover, Trump likes to postpone and extend such deadlines,” he said.
Zelensky nominates new prime minister to lead Ukraine government
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has asked first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as Ukraine’s war with Russia raged on.
Mr Zelensky also proposed that Ukraine’s current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, take over as defence minister, describing him as holding the right qualifications for a very important job.
“We… discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine’s economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
“In pursuit of this goal, we are initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine,” he said, adding that he had proposed that Ms Svyrydenko lead the government and “significantly renew its work”.
Ms Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist and has served as first deputy prime minister since 2021. She played a key role in recent negotiations for a minerals deal with the United States.
Trump threatens Russia with new sanctions if no peace deal is reached in 50 days
The US could impose crippling secondary sanctions on Russia if the three-year-old war it has been waging against Ukraine is not brought to an end by 2 September, president Donald Trump has said.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday alongside Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, Mr Trump said he’s “very unhappy” with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, and pledged to impose what he described as “very severe tariffs” on Moscow “if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.”
“I’m disappointed in President Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there. So based on that, we’re going to be doing secondary tariffs. If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, it’s very simple, and they’ll be at 100 percent, and that’s the way it is. That can be more simple. It’s just the way it is. I hope we don’t have to do it,” he said.
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