Trump sets 50-day tariff deadline for Russia to end war in Ukraine
CBC
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States will impose "very severe tariffs" on Russia in 50 days if there is no deal to stop the war in Ukraine.
Trump made the announcement of what he said would be a 100 per cent tariff rate while meeting with reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.
Trump said they would be "secondary tariffs," meaning they would target Russia's trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy. Direct trade between Washington and Moscow has plummeted since Russia launched its invasion in early 2022.
Trump also said the United States will send military aid to help Ukraine in its war effort, but that NATO members, not American taxpayers, would cover the cost of the weapons.
"We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO," he said.
Rutte said massive numbers of weapons would be sent, including missiles, as part of a first wave of equipment.
Trump said the equipment, including a Patriot missile system, would be arriving very soon.
The U.S. comments come after the Pentagon earlier this month ordered some military aid deliveries to Ukraine be turned around in Europe. Trump reversed that decision last week.
Trump had pledged to swiftly end the war on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, but months into his second administration, little progress has been made. The Republican president has sometimes criticized U.S. spending on Ukraine's defence, spoken favourably of Russia and publicly clashed with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At other times, he has expressed disappointment with President Vladimir Putin and Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine.
"I'm very disappointed in President Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there," he said Monday.
While Trump was making his comments, Zelenskyy held talks with a U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg on increasing weapons production and arms purchases.
Zelenskyy, who has been seeking air defence systems to fend off Russian airstrikes, said on social media he had discussed "the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer" at talks with Kellogg.
In addition to Rutte, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is set to visit Washington on Monday, for talks with Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer involved shooting at Danforth Go station early Saturday morning, said Toronto police.
Montreal officials will hold a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre today.
The City of Regina's proposal to build a roadway through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park should be discarded, local conservationists say.
A holiday event that began in 2020 during the pandemic with three floats on pickup trucks has now become one of Kelowna’s big winter events, drawing thousands to the city’s downtown core.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.