'Big' Announcement On Russia Is More TACO: Oil Tumbles As Trump 'Delays' Sanctions Threat Against Putin

www.zerohedge.com

Update(1130ET): The big Monday announcement by President Trump... just the threat of more secondary tariffs on Russia? And venting a little more frustration at no peace progress.

  • TRUMP: SEVERE TARIFFS ON RUSSIA IF NO DEAL IN 50 DAYS
  • TRUMP THREATENS TO IMPOSE 'SECONDARY' TARIFFS ON RUSSIA
  • TRUMP REITERATES VERY UNHAPPY WITH RUSSIA
  • TRUMP: MADE DEAL TODAY TO SEND WEAPONS TO UKRAINE
  • TRUMP: IT'S ALL TALK THEN MISSILES GO INTO KYIV AND KILL
  • TRUMP: UKRAINE WILL TAKE THE MILITARY EQUIPMENT FROM NATO
  • TRUMP SUGGESTS MORE DYING IN UKRAINE WAR THAN PUBLICLY KNOWN
  • TRUMP: SECONDARY TARIFFS VERY POWERFUL

    • If this is "it"... the "major announcement" on Russia that was planned, then we will say it could have been a lot worse in terms of escalation (such as ramping up more offensive weapons deliveries to Kiev), but amid Trump perhaps poorly managing expectations, people will be asking: that was it? Even RT is chiming in with some light mockery...

    Given markets were expecting something more 'huge' - oil prices pushed lower on the news of another lengthy timeline of "if no deal in 50 days"...

    And yes, there will be some more weapons sent to Ukraine, Trump stated, but they will come via NATO allies, primarily.

    Monthly US imports from Russia

    Huge threats and a big arms package via European supplies:

    President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that the U.S. has agreed to sell arms to NATO just moments after he said Russian President Vladimir Putin has 50 days to secure a peace deal with Ukraine or face "100%" tariffs. 

    NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Trump called him on Thursday to confirm he wanted to enter into a deal with NATO allies to sell them arms for aid to Ukraine. 

    Trump said billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms would be purchased from allies like Germany, Finland and Denmark that will be "quickly distributed" to Ukraine. 

    * * * 

    As if the Big Beautiful Bill's spending increases, the bombing of Iran, mixed signals on immigration and the suppression of the Epstein files weren't enough to infuriate Trump voters, now comes news that President Trump is going to announce what a top DC warmonger calls an "aggressive" transfer of offensive weapons to Ukraine. Under the novel arrangement, European countries are supposedly going to foot the bill.  

    Last week, the administration announced that weapons shipments that had just been halted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over concerns about the depletion of America's own arsenal were being given a hasty green light after all. Trump broke the news on Monday after last week's "disappointing" phone call with President Putin, telling reporters he would send “more weapons” to Ukraine. Critically, Trump had emphasized that these would be "defensive weapons primarily." 

    Now, two sources tell Axios that it's likely a new weapons package will include long-range missiles capable of attacking deep inside Russia to include Moscow. They noted that a final decision hadn't been made. "Trump is really pissed at Putin. His announcement tomorrow is going to be very aggressive," warmongering South Carolina Sen. Lindsey told Axios.

    While MAGA nation and libertarian-minded Trump voters will be disgusted, it's like a second Christmas in a month for Graham. First delighted by Trump's decision to engage the US military in Israel's war on Iran, long-time Ukraine-meddler Graham is now enthusing over Trump's new escalation. "The game...is about to change," said Graham in a Sunday appearance on Face the Nation. "I expect in the coming days you will see weapons flowing at a record level...[and] there will be tariffs and sanction available to President Trump he's never had before." 

    The transaction is expected to be announced Monday when Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. This time around, European countries are expected to pay for American weapons bound for Ukraine. "Basically, we are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military [equipment]. They're going to pay us 100% for them,"  Trump told reporters on Sunday. "As we send equipment, they're going to reimburse us."  

    The new arrangement sprang from a suggestion made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO summit in late June. Striking an exceedingly Trump-like tone, an unnamed US official told Axios, "Zelensky came like a normal human being, not crazy, and was dressed like a somebody that should be at NATO. He had a group of people with him that also seemed not crazy. So they had a good conversation."

    Trump was reportedly angered by his July 3 phone call with Putin, in which the Russian president made clear his intention to escalate the war. Sure enough, that very night Russia launched an apparently record-setting overnight drone attack on Ukraine - said to be among the largest since the war began. 

    According to the new report, Western and Ukrainian officials are hoping an infusion of weapons will alter Putin's calculus about his war aims and terms for a ceasefire if not an end to it.  

    Russia had been gradually but relentlessly taking over more territory (via Institute for the Study of War) 

    During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to bring a quick end to the war, variously claiming that he would get it "settled before I even become president" or, at worst, "within 24 hours" of doing so. Now, nearly 6 months into his term, Trump is about to pour more weapons into the 3 1/2-year old war. 

    In doing so, Trump gives us yet another illustration of Tom Woods' Law #3: "No matter whom you vote for, you always wind up getting John McCain."  

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