A day after issuing an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump offered new details on how events may unfold if Moscow fails to comply with his demands and bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Trump has given Russia 50 days to reach a peace deal or face 100% secondary tariffs and additional sanctions.
“At the end of 50 days, if we don’t have a deal, it’s going to be too bad,” Trump said. “The tariffs are going to go on and other sanctions.” Until now, the president has refrained from imposing traditional sanctions and instead opted for “secondary tariffs” against Russia.
When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should target Moscow in retaliation, Trump avoided escalating the rhetoric.
“No, he shouldn’t target Moscow,” he said.
Trump confirmed yesterday during his meeting with NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte his approval for the sale of Patriot missiles to NATO, which can then be transferred to Ukraine. However, he indicated today he does not support going further. The president said he is not willing to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles.
“No, we’re not looking to do that,” he said.
The president’s comments a day after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified the administration’s strategy, saying the proposed tariffs were intended as economic deterrents rather than traditional sanctions.
Trump’s stance has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told The Pavlovic Today at a Capitol Hill press conference on Monday, “Donald Trump has spent the first six months of his presidency playing footsie with Vladimir Putin, and the response from Vladimir Putin, a sworn enemy of the United States of America, has been to unleash terror on Ukrainian children, communities and civilians.”
Jeffries added, “Donald Trump has zero credibility in this area,” and urged Congress to “act independently” and impose sanctions on Russia.
One question Trump continues to face is why he is giving Putin 50 additional days to comply with a ceasefire. On Tuesday, Trump defended the timeline.
“I don’t think 50 days is very long — it could be sooner than that,” he said. “You should have asked that same question to Biden. Why did he get us into this war?”
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