Trump Threatens Russia With 100% Tariffs If No Deal With Ukraine Reached

Topline

President Donald Trump said Russia would face 100% “secondary” tariffs if it did not secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine in 50 days, following promises to send Patriot missiles and other military aid to Ukraine, and a stark change from Trump’s earlier, seemingly more sympathetic tone toward Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.

Key Facts

“We’re very, very unhappy with them, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs,” Trump said alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after a private meeting Monday.

Trump did not offer details on how the tariffs could be implemented, such as whether they would target specific products or industries.

Russia was previously spared during his first round of “Liberation Day” levies because the nation already faced high sanctions, the White House said at the time.

Key Background

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine, which he consistently blamed on former President Joe Biden. He repeatedly boasted that he could end the war between the two nations in “24 hours,” but the administration’s attempts to negotiate with Putin have so far ended without any deals. During the most recent round of talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators continued to press Ukraine to cede territory conquered during the early days of the war. On Monday, Trump again blamed Biden for the conflict. “It wasn’t my war, it’s Biden’s war, I’m trying to get you out of it,” he said, later calling it a “Democrat war.”

Will The Us Send More Military Aid To Ukraine?

Trump on Sunday announced plans to send Ukraine Patriot missile systems, which he said would be paid for by NATO member states. “They do need some protection, but the European Union is paying for it. We’re not paying anything for it, but we will send it.” He blamed Putin directly for the change in policy: “Putin had really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice, and then he bombs everybody in the evening. There’s a little bit of a problem there, I don’t like it.” On Monday, Trump said the weapon shipments would be coordinated by NATO. “We’re going to make top of the line weapons, and they’re going to be sent to NATO.” Trump again promised that other NATO members would pay for the weapons shipments. “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” Trump said, adding “We are not buying it, but we’ll manufacture it, and they’re going to pay for it.” Earlier this year, Trump paused weapons shipments to Ukraine after a contentious meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The U.S. has provided over $66 billion in military aid directly to Ukraine since the war broke out in 2022, according to a State Department analysis published in March.

How Could Trump Target Russia With Tariffs?

Trump has repeatedly threatened Russia with higher trade barriers since he took office in January as Russia shows few signs of deescalating the conflict with Ukraine. In January, he threatened tariffs against “anything being sold by Russia to the United States” and extended the threat to “various other participating countries.” In March, as the rift between Trump and Putin grew, he detailed a more specific policy of 25% tariffs on Russian oil.

How Much Does Russia Sell In The U.s.?

The U.S. only imported about $3 billion in goods from Russia in 2024, the U.S. Trade Representative reported. This figure has been steadily decreasing since the Ukraine war broke out in 2022, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s significantly less than total imports from primary trade partners like China, which totalled $438.9 billion in 2024. The U.S. imported more than $3.2 trillion in goods from around the world in 2024, according to data from the Commerce Department.

What Would The Senate’s Tariff Bill Do?

Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., seeks to punish Russia and its trading partners with further sanctions. The bill would impose 500% tariffs on oil, natural gas, petroleum and petrochemical products coming out of Russia. “The purpose of this legislation is to break the cycle of China — a communist dictatorship — buying oil below market price from Putin’s Russia, which empowers his war machine to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” Graham wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News in June. However, Trump was hesitant about the legislation when a reporter asked about it Monday. “I’m not sure we need it,” Trump said, adding that “it could be very useful, we will have to see.”