Trump Threatens Tariffs on Russia, Increases Arms to Ukraine

Updated 7/15/25 11:47am ET.

President Donald Trump threatened Russia with 100% tariffs if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days. The Russian government rejected the threat as “unacceptable.” Trump also announced a plan for NATO allies to purchase weapons from the US to send to Ukraine.

Weapons Deal: The deal would include sending Patriot missile systems and, potentially, offensive weapons. Trump expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday: “There’s times I’d get home. I’d say, ‘First lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished.’ And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, ‘Wow, that’s strange because they just bombed a nursing home.’” Trump announced that the US would send more defensive weapons to Ukraine last week, after halting certain weapons shipments a week prior.

Tariff Threats: Trump’s threat to impose “very severe” tariffs on Russia follows a Senate-led effort to pass sanctions that would burden other countries with tariffs if they purchase Russian energy. This bipartisan bill, authored by Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (D), would impose a 500% tariff on any country that trades Russian gas, oil or petroleum if a peace deal is not reached.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets on the left covered the news with less negativity bias than when the US halted weapons shipments in early July, but Trump’s abrupt policy shifts were emphasized across the political spectrum. The Hill (Center bias) emphasized Trump’s changing policies towards Russia, while USA Today (Lean Left) focused on the contrast between Trump’s approach and the Senate-led sanctions effort. National Review News (Lean Right) also noted the contrast and Trump’s doubt about its necessity. BBC (Center) highlighted some conservative disapproval with the president.

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.