Jul. 19, 2025 |
Washington’s new ultimatum for Moscow. U.S. President Donald Trump announced this week that the United States would dramatically increase weapons supplies to Ukraine and impose 100 percent tariffs on Russia, along with any countries that buy Russian oil, if Moscow doesn’t agree to a ceasefire in the next 50 days.
The play: The United States will sell around $10 billion in weapons to NATO allies in the first wave, who will then send the weapons on to Ukraine, while at the same time choking off Russia’s cash flow.
Trump meanwhile told the BBC he’s “disappointed but not done” with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The whole move represents a dramatic shift from Trump’s previous positioning on the conflict—and creates an unprecedented economic ultimatum, targeting not just Russia but any nation buying Russian oil. It escalates both military and economic dimensions of the conflict while setting a specific timeline that could trigger massive global trade disruptions.
The central question is whether the gamble will force Putin toward negotiations or provoke further escalation—potentially destabilizing global energy markets and fracturing international alliances.
So what are the key considerations here?