U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration is considering imposing secondary sanctions on Russia as the war in Ukraine continues to escalate.
“It could be that we have to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a trip to Scotland.
Trump’s comments were a renewed warning for Russia, initially given two weeks ago, in an effort to stop its war in Ukraine.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on July 14, Trump confirmed that billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weapons would be delivered to Ukraine through NATO.
“We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO,” Trump said, adding that NATO allies would pay for the shipments. He confirmed that the weapons would include Patriot air defence missiles, urgently requested by Ukraine.
“It's a full complement with the batteries,” he said. “We're going to have some come very soon, within days.” Trump also mentioned a potential deal involving 17 Patriot systems already prepared for deployment: “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.”
Rutte added that several NATO countries, including Germany, Finland, the UK, and Canada, had expressed interest in contributing to Ukraine’s defence.
Sanctions threat marks policy shift
Trump also warned of secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian exports.
“We're going to be doing secondary tariffs,” he said. “If we don't have a deal in 50 days, it's very simple, and they'll be at 100%.”
A White House official later clarified that Trump was referring to 100% tariffs on Russian goods, along with sanctions on countries that continue to trade with Russia.
Upon Trump's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that he had spoken to Trump and “thanked him for his readiness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace.”
His envoy also met with Trump’s team earlier in the same week.
Growing US pressure on Kremlin
Trump’s new stance is fuelled by dissatisfaction with Moscow’s repeated failure to engage seriously in peace talks. He claimed that past attempts had been derailed by continued Russian aggression.
“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,” Trump said. Last week, he added, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin.”
Though Trump has previously pushed for rapprochement with Russia, his recent pivot suggests a firmer approach following Putin’s refusal to accept an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the U.S.—a plan reportedly endorsed by Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to advance slowly in eastern Ukraine and shows no signs of abandoning its territorial ambitions.
“It could be that we have to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a trip to Scotland.
Trump’s comments were a renewed warning for Russia, initially given two weeks ago, in an effort to stop its war in Ukraine.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on July 14, Trump confirmed that billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weapons would be delivered to Ukraine through NATO.
“We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO,” Trump said, adding that NATO allies would pay for the shipments. He confirmed that the weapons would include Patriot air defence missiles, urgently requested by Ukraine.
“It's a full complement with the batteries,” he said. “We're going to have some come very soon, within days.” Trump also mentioned a potential deal involving 17 Patriot systems already prepared for deployment: “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.”
Rutte added that several NATO countries, including Germany, Finland, the UK, and Canada, had expressed interest in contributing to Ukraine’s defence.
Sanctions threat marks policy shift
Trump also warned of secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian exports.
“We're going to be doing secondary tariffs,” he said. “If we don't have a deal in 50 days, it's very simple, and they'll be at 100%.”
A White House official later clarified that Trump was referring to 100% tariffs on Russian goods, along with sanctions on countries that continue to trade with Russia.
Upon Trump's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that he had spoken to Trump and “thanked him for his readiness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace.”
His envoy also met with Trump’s team earlier in the same week.
Growing US pressure on Kremlin
Trump’s new stance is fuelled by dissatisfaction with Moscow’s repeated failure to engage seriously in peace talks. He claimed that past attempts had been derailed by continued Russian aggression.
“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,” Trump said. Last week, he added, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin.”
Though Trump has previously pushed for rapprochement with Russia, his recent pivot suggests a firmer approach following Putin’s refusal to accept an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the U.S.—a plan reportedly endorsed by Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to advance slowly in eastern Ukraine and shows no signs of abandoning its territorial ambitions.
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