Trump warns Russia of ‘very severe tariffs’ – DW – 07/14/2025

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump announced sending weapons to the military alliance to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“We’re going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they’ll be sent to NATO,” Trump said, adding that the cost of the weapons would be covered by the alliance, rather than US taxpayers.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO,” Trump said. “And that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Rutte said Ukraine would get “massive numbers” of weapons under the deal, including Patriot anti-missile batteries.

US President Donald Trump has revealed his awaited “major statement” on Russia, threatening Moscow with “very very severe” tariffs unless a deal to end the war with Ukraine is reached within 50 days.

“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%, and that’s the way it is,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump made the announcement as he sat side-by-side with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, saying he was very unhappy with Russia.

“I use trade for a lot of things,” he added. “But it’s great for settling wars.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had asked Yuliia Svyrydenko to become the new prime minister.

Svyrydenko has served as Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister and economy minister.

“I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work. I look forward to the presentation of the new government’s action plan in the near future,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

He also mentioned that they discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine’s economic potential, and that they are initiating a transformation of Ukraine’s executive branch to achieve this goal.

Svyrydenko has held her current position since November 2021. Previously, she was the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office.

Denys Shmyhal is the present Prime Minister. He has been in office since March 2020.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv.

According to a social media post by Zelenskyy, they discussed defense cooperation and sanctions on Russia during a “productive” conversation.”

“We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.

“This includes strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, joint production, and procurement of defense weapons in collaboration with Europe. And of course, sanctions against Russia and those who help it,” Zelenskyy added.

He thanked Kellogg for visiting Ukraine and Trump for sending important “signals of support.” 

The US president is expected to deliver a “major statement… on Russia” on Monday.

During his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington on Monday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is set to deliberate the pressing matter of providing Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.

Berlin has already provided Kyiv with three of the 12 Patriot systems it previously possessed.

“We only have six left in Germany,” Pistorius said in an interview with British daily The Financial Times.

The German minister added that at least one Patriot unit was always unavailable due to maintenance or training, and that two others had been lent to Poland.

“That’s really too few, especially considering the NATO capability goals we have to meet. We definitely can’t give any more,” Pistorius said.

The minister said he would discuss his proposal from last month with Hegseth for Germany to purchase two Patriot systems from the United States for Ukraine.

During the interview, Pistorius also stated that Germany would not deliver its long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine despite Kyiv’s renewed request.

The Kremlin said that US President Donald Trump’s remarks about supplying Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine mean that US arms and ammunition deliveries to Kyiv are ongoing.

“Now it seems that these supplies will be paid for by Europe, some will be paid for, some will not,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Trump’s announcement.

“The fact remains that the supply of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from the United States continued and continues to Ukraine,” Peskov added.

Peskov said the Kremlin believed that Kyiv was clearly in no hurry for the third round of peace negotiations. He added that Russia was ready for the talks and awaiting clarity on the timing from Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Telegram that Russian forces had taken control of two more Ukrainian villages: Malynivka in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Maiak in the eastern Donetsk region.

No comment has been issued by Ukrainian authorities as of yet.

Over the summer, Russia escalated its offensive in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, advancing the front line and launching some of the war’s largest missile and drone attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, stated that dialogue between Russia and the United States would persist despite seemingly growing tensions between the two powers.

“This dialogue will continue — despite the titanic efforts to disrupt it by all means possible,” Dmitriev said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

The official made the comments after US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Putin over Russia’s invasion and announced that the US would send Patriot air defense system missiles to Ukraine.

Trump had made rapproachement with Moscow and a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine a major pillar of his campaign for election as US president, but has in recent weeks increasingly vented his frustration with the apparent lack of progress on peace talks and Russia’s continued aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

Trump is expected to deliver a “major statement” on Russia on Monday, having previously hinted he was open to slapping Moscow with further sanctions.

Earlier this year, Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, met with Trump’s special envoy, Steven Witkoff, when Witkoff visited Russia. Dmitriev also attended Witkoff’s meeting with Putin.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will meet with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington.

Security in Europe is likely to be a focus of Monday’s talks, given the growing Russian territorial aggression in Ukraine.

The meeting is also expected to center on Berlin’s offer to pay for American Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine, a proposal announced by Chancellor Friedrich Merz weeks ago.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he would send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, adding that the EU would reimburse the cost.

Read more about this and other news from Germany in our Germany updates

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine to help the country fight Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it,” Trump said.

The delivery of Patriot missiles would be paid for by NATO and the EU, Trump said. However, Trump did not specify how many missiles would be sent to Ukraine.

The US president’s announcement of much-needed weapons for Ukraine came after he said he would deliver a “major statement… on Russia” on Monday.

Read more about Trump’s change in position regarding the deilvery of weapons to Ukraine

US special envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv for a nearly weeklong visit focused on defense and sanctions talks.

Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top aide, posted a video on X showing himself welcoming Kellogg at the Kyiv railway station.

“We welcome US Special Representative Keith Kellogg to Ukraine,” Yermak wrote on Telegram, adding “peace through strength is the principle of US President Donald Trump, and we support this approach.”

“Defense, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protecting our people, strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the United States — there are many topics to discuss,” Yermak wrote.

In his evening address on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that he had instructed military commanders to present Kellogg with information on Russia’s capabilities and Ukraine’s prospects.

Earlier this month, Washington said it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv, but Trump recently changed course, criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for intensifying attacks as US-led peace talks stalled.

Welcome to DW’s coverage of the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, US special envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv for defense talks.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.

This announcement marked an abrupt change in Trump’s position, as just two weeks ago the US paused the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis.