In a dramatic escalation of rhetoric over the ongoing war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump on July 14 issued a stark warning to Moscow: reach a peace agreement within 50 days or face crippling economic consequences. During a high-profile meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump declared his administration’s readiness to impose “very severe tariffs” of up to 100% on nations continuing to trade with Russia.

The remarks mark a significant turn in US policy under Trump’s leadership and raise the pressure on both Russia and its global trading partners. The ultimatum underscores the administration’s willingness to leverage economic tools in a bid to force a political resolution to the two-year conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and reshaped European security policy.

Trump’s threat is not limited to Moscow itself. In a move that could shake global trade flows, the US president proposed secondary tariffs-punitive duties on countries that continue to conduct business with Russia. These measures, if enacted, could have sweeping ramifications for global supply chains and international diplomacy. Unlike direct sanctions or embargoes, secondary tariffs would extend the economic fallout to Russia’s trading partners, including nations in Asia, the Middle East, and even some in Europe.

“We’re very, very unhappy – I am – with Russia,” Trump told reporters. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in........

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