As PJ Media previously reported, President Donald Trump’s patience with Vladimir Putin has worn thin, and he is back arming Ukraine. But Trump, being Trump, wants to end the war, not prolong it, and announced Monday that Russia has exactly 50 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine, or face crushing 100% secondary tariffs that will make their economy look like a third-world garage sale.
And unlike the Biden administration’s pathetic “strongly worded letters” approach to foreign policy, Trump means business.
During a White House press conference, Trump laid it out clearly. Sitting alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump left no room for misinterpretation: “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.”
President Trump on Russia-Ukraine war: “This is a Biden war … It’s a very deadly war.” pic.twitter.com/rN6Q8UF0nm
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 14, 2025
So what exactly are secondary tariffs? It’s a fair question. Because the U.S. already has virtually no trade with Russia thanks to existing sanctions, Trump is targeting nations that continue buying Russian oil. Under his plan, countries like China, India, and Germany — major U.S. trading partners — would face steep new tariffs on their exports to America, potentially as high as 100%. The goal? Crank up the pressure on Moscow by going after its enablers.
That’s what leadership looks like: drawing a red line and promising tangible consequences if Putin refuses to play ball. Trump’s approach is a far cry from the last administration’s muddled messaging and weak sanctions that failed to deter Russian aggression in the first place.
Of course, the mainstream media will spin this as a bad thing, that Trump is punishing allies for Russia’s aggression. But Trump has already proved the media wrong on tariffs, with the United States generating surplus revenue in June thanks to tariff revenue. So tariffs work, and what Trump is doing is isolating Russia in the global markets. This could prove to be a very effective way to get Putin on the path to peace.
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Trump didn’t hide his disenchantment with Putin either. “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,” he explained.
There’s an unmistakable sense of urgency here, a recognition that Western hand-wringing and endless summits have only emboldened Moscow. The carnage in Ukraine continues to mount, with Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian targets. Already this month, Ukrainian officials have reported at least 11 civilians killed and over 80 wounded, including children, as Russia unleashed a barrage of more than 100 drones on Ukrainian cities.
This is the Trump Doctrine in full force: decisive action, tangible results, and no apologies for putting America — and her true allies — first. The message to the world is that Trump wants the Russia-Ukraine war to end, and he’s betting that economic isolation is the leverage point that finally brings Russia to the table. For those still doing business with Moscow, the warning is simple: keep enabling Putin, and prepare to pay the price.
Putin has 50 days to make a deal, but the real question is: will America’s so-called “allies” keep funding Russia’s war machine through oil purchases? Trump’s secondary tariff threat exposes which nations truly stand with Ukraine and which are profiting from bloodshed. PJ Media VIP gives you exclusive access to the economic warfare strategies the mainstream media refuses to explain. Join today with promo code FIGHT for 60% off and get ad-free content plus commenting privileges.
