London – President Donald Trump had promised an “important statement” about Russia on Monday, and seemed a great change in his approach to the war in Ukraine. But significant uncertainty remains amid the lack of key details.
Sitting in the Oval office with NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, and apparently tired of being slowly walked by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump threatened the Kremlin with difficult tariffs if he does not make an agreement to finish the war within 50 days.
But perhaps more important was Trump’s change in weapons.
After months of threatening, I could cut military aid to Ukraine completely, on Monday Trump promised that “billions” in arms would be sent, now that Europe will pay for them.
The NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office of the White House, on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Washington.
EVAN VUCCI/AP
Trump and Rutte announced that other NATO countries now agreed to buy US weapons on behalf of Ukraine. It was not clear about the agreement, but Routte said that it meant that Ukraine can now obtain “massive” amounts of military equipment, including ammunition and missiles. European allies, he and Trump said, they could also hurry the team of their own actions exhausted to Ukraine, knowing that it can fill it.
If Trump now allows a substantial amount of American weapons to continue flowing to Ukraine, that would mark an important change. Since Trump assumed the position, many in Ukraine and the European capitals have thought that this could be the best scenario for Ukraine, given the clear hostility of the president of the United States to continue with US donations.
Above all, I would send a very different message to Putin. For months, Putin has believed that US military support from Ukraine has been dissolving under Trump. That has emboldened to Putin to boost harder in military action against Ukraine. If this agreement reverses that, you can begin to change the perception of Putin.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, presides over a meeting on social matters, in Moscow, Russia, July 14, 2025.
Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik through Reuters
But the details will import. Patriot antimisile defense systems that Trump has authorized to send is important, given the greatly increased air attacks of Russia. But a real evidence will now be what other weapons that Ukraine will receive will receive. Trump also said that the United States would send “several pieces of very sophisticated military teams.” For now, the Pentagon is still working on what will be sent, two US officials said to ABC News on Monday.
But Trump on Monday seemed to be much closer to the vision of the US allies. In contrast to the Oval Office meeting in February, where he reprimanded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump praised Ukraine as “brave” and spoke of the “amazing” “Esprit de Corps” of European countries by joining to defend him.
In Putin, Trump again expressed his frustration, at one time approaching the repetition of former President Joe Biden, who called Putin “a murderer.”
“I don’t want to say that he is a murderer, but he is a hard guy. He has demonstrated over the years. He has deceived many people,” Trump said, listing the recent former presidents who said Putin had cheated.
Trump said Putin “did not deceive me,” but expressed surprise that what he called his “beautiful” phone calls with Putin had turned out not to mean anything.
“I always say: ‘Well, that was a good phone call.’ We had a wonderful conversation. ‘ She said: ‘Oh, really?
President Donald Trump meets with NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, where President Trump announces an agreement to send weapons to Ukraine through NATO, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA. UU., July 14, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
The key question is now how serious the new Trump approach will take?
The tariff threat also remains vague and some experts have expressed doubts that can effectively impose itself. The so -called “secondary tariffs” to punish countries that matter Russian oil and gas could have a powerful effect but are complicated and, for example, may require great confrontation with China.
An obvious question is why did Trump choose to give Putin 50 days before imposing 100%rates? A possible explanation is that the period is how long the current summer offensive of Russia is expected. Axios recently reported That same Putin even told Trump in a recent phone call that he intended to press for the next 60 days.
The Trump administration can expect Putin to be more inclined to negotiate once Russia’s offensive runs out, particularly if it goes wrong. Intensified sanctions, if they come, and the increase in weapons could slowly push Putin towards real negotiations, if his summer offensive fails to achieve much.
But Putin may not believe that Trump has the patience of keeping a hard line.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO general secretary Mark Rutte at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 14, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP through Getty Images
Tatiana Stanovaya, an analyst at Russia and founder of R.Politik, wrote in X that many in the elite of Russia saw the new Trump approach as a temporary maneuver to try Putin.
“Once it becomes evident that such pressure is ineffective, it is expected to be soon, Trump is likely to return to a diplomatic course, including Ukraine pressure to achieve a commitment,” said Stanovaya, summarizing the group’s thinking.
In the short term, Putin is likely to continue pressing the strongest you can. He believes he is winning. Only when he begins to think otherwise, he could negotiate.
