President Sends Defensive Missiles to Ukraine

Kerry Picket | July 15, 2025

(The Washington Times) — President Trump showed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying he will impose steep “secondary” tariffs on Russia if the Kremlin doesn’t reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine within 50 days. He also announced that he would send more U.S. weapons to Kyiv.

Mr. Trump made the announcements after meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who has been organizing the proposal to bolster Ukraine’s defenses.

“It’s not my war,” Mr. Trump said in remarks directed at Mr. Putin. “I’m trying to get you out of it, and we want to see it end. And 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,” Mr. Trump said. “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.”

Secondary tariffs are U.S. levies imposed on other countries doing business with Russia, not on Russian exports to the U.S. Mr. Trump has suggested that such tariffs could be used on nations buying Russian oil and gas.

“I use trade for a lot of things,” Mr. Trump said of his strategy to bring Russia to the table and agree to a ceasefire. “But it’s great for settling wars.”

The president has declared that the U.S. would send a new weapons supply for Ukraine, including more advanced Patriot missile defense batteries, which NATO member nations are expected to fund.

“We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them. We, the United States, will not be having any payment made,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and [NATO] is going to be paying for it.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Mr. Trump’s envoy, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, had “a productive conversation” Monday about strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, joint arms production and purchasing U.S. weapons in conjunction with European countries. They also discussed tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin.

“We hope for the leadership of the United States because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its … ambitions are stopped by force,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine’s air defenses are struggling to counter. Ukraine sustained its highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years in June, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, said the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine.

Russia’s bigger army has renewed an effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders along parts of the 620-mile front line.

Mr. Trump said the European Union will pay the U.S. for the “various pieces of very sophisticated” weaponry.

Senior Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev said Mr. Trump’s plan had “only one beneficiary: the U.S. military-industrial complex.”

Germany has offered to finance two Patriot systems, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said in Berlin. The country has given Ukraine three of its own Patriot systems.

The U.S. contributes heavily to NATO’s budget.

Mr. Rutte said this proposition builds on the “tremendous success” of last month’s NATO summit, where each member country agreed to pay up to 5% of their gross domestic product for NATO’s defense by 2035 and keep “Ukraine strong.”

“I’ve been in contact with many countries. I can tell you that this moment Germany, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada,” Mr. Rutte said. “They all want to be part of this. And this is only the first wave. There will be more. So, what we will do is work through the NATO systems to make sure that we know what Ukrainians need so that we can make packages.”

He said the coordinated efforts should get Russia’s attention.

“If I was Vladimir Putin today … speaking about what you were planning to do in 50 days, and this announcement, I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously than I was doing at the moment. But when I’m Ukraine, I think this is really great news for them,” he said.

Mr. Rutte said the U.S. will maintain the stockpile of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine. Most weapons packages that Ukraine will receive rely on Europe’s financial resources and inclination to make these purchases.

Kyiv needs air defense systems, drone interceptors and a continuous supply of artillery shells and missiles.

Reservations about Mr. Trump’s commitment to supply Ukraine arose when the Pentagon paused weapons shipments over concerns that U.S. stockpiles were running low. Mr. Rutte said the U.S. will now maintain the stockpile of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine.

Mr. Trump has grown increasingly irritated with Russia’s rejection of a ceasefire with Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion began more than three years ago.

He told reporters Sunday that he would send the missiles to Ukraine to help fend off Russian attacks and said Mr. Putin “talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.”

Mr. Trump’s threat is similar to legislation stated in a Senate bipartisan bill that would impose 500% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas. Mr. Trump pledged earlier this year to impose tariffs on imports from countries that buy Venezuelan oil.

Mr. Rutte became head of NATO on Oct. 1, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg. He has known Mr. Trump for many years, and their relationship appears to have evolved positively.

During Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Rutte served as the Dutch prime minister and was one of the few European leaders who publicly challenged Mr. Trump, particularly on NATO burden-sharing and trade issues.

However, their relationship appears to have notably improved, as demonstrated during the NATO summit in The Hague last month. Mr. Trump called Mr. Rutte a “very strong leader and a good man,” and Mr. Rutte later called the U.S. president a “man of strength and peace.”

Mr. Rutte even likened Mr. Trump to a global affairs “daddy,” in a perhaps playful comment.

Mr. Rutte last visited the White House on March 13, when officials appeared optimistic that a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia could be reached.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Rutte also met last month during the NATO summit in The Hague, which led to the agreement across the alliance to increase defense spending.

In recent weeks, the president has used the threat of looming tariffs on other countries to gain leverage in foreign policy negotiations.

Over the weekend, Trump threatened new 30% tariffs against Mexico and the European Union to be implemented Aug. 1, despite ongoing negotiations.

Last week, he threatened a 35% tariff on many Canadian goods and warned of a 50% levy on Brazil in an attempt to impact the criminal trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.