Summary

Media caption,

Watch: Trump to hit Russia with secondary tariffs in 50 days if no peace deal

  1. Trump praises Nato's new 5% defence spending pledgepublished at 16:34 British Summer Time

    Trump goes on to praise the Nato defence alliance, mentioning recent agreements where countries upped their contributions on defence and security-related spending from 2% of a country's GDP to 5% by 2035.

    He says that a lot of progress has been made since a recent Nato summit in the Netherlands.

    The US president says they "made a lot of friends over there" and says some of the countries are "great people", and that "for the most part, very solid, strong countries".

  2. Ukrainians continue to fight with tremendous courage - Trumppublished at 16:31 British Summer Time

    Trump says Ukrainians "continue to fight with tremendous courage" but are losing equipment.

    Nato's chief Mark Rutte chimes in and says Russia bombing cities is not for "military goals" but to create panic.

  3. Billions of dollars of military equipment will be sent to Ukraine - Trumppublished at 16:29 British Summer Time

    Media caption,

    Watch: Trump lays out Ukraine weapons deal

    Trump again lists a series of international conflicts he claims to have solved, and repeats that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he had been president in 2022.

    The US president says he used to speak to his Russian equivalent, Vladimir Putin, often and could see a war coming.

    "It's all talk until missiles go into Kyiv," he says, adding that it has "got to stop".

    He says billions of dollars of military equipment will now be distributed to Ukraine.

  4. Ukraine can get hold of 'massive numbers of military equipment' - Nato chiefpublished at 16:24 British Summer Time

    Nato's chief continues by saying it means Ukraine can get its hands on "really massive numbers of military equipment" for air defence, missiles and ammunitions.

    Mark Rutte adds that it's great news for Ukraine, thanking President Trump.

  5. The Europeans are 'stepping up' - Nato chiefpublished at 16:23 British Summer Time

    Mark Rutte speaking to Trump in the Oval OfficeImage source, Pool

    Trump hands over to Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who says "this is really big".

    The Nato chief says Trump has made a decision for Ukraine to be able to maintain its defences against Russia, and adds that Europeans will pay for it. Trump says this "is totally logical".

    Rutte says this builds on the tremendous success of the Nato summit, adding that the Europeans are "stepping up".

  6. US will send 'top-of-the-line weapons' to Natopublished at 16:20 British Summer Time

    Trump says the distribution of the weapons to Ukraine will be co-ordinated by Nato.

    "We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons" and send them to Nato, the US president says.

    Nato will then send them where they are needed, he adds.

  7. We want war in Ukraine to end - Trumppublished at 16:18 British Summer Time

    Trump speaking in the Oval OfficeImage source, Pool

    Trump says he wants to see the war in Ukraine end, adding that he's "disappointed" with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

    The US president says the US makes the best equipment, the best missiles and "the best everything".

    He says they will be sending the weapons to Nato and adds that "they will be paying for them".

  8. US will impose 'very severe tariffs' on Russia in 50 days if no Ukraine peace dealpublished at 16:15 British Summer Time

    Media caption,

    Watch: Trump to hit Russia with secondary tariffs in 50 days if no peace deal

    The US president goes on to say he is "very unhappy" with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

    "We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days," he says.

    He calls them secondary tariffs and says they will be 100%.

  9. Trump and Nato chief meeting under waypublished at 16:12 British Summer Time
    Breaking

    Rutte and Trump sat next to each other in the Oval OfficeImage source, Pool

    After a delay to the start, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte's meeting with Donald Trump has just begun in the White House Oval Office.

    Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are there too. Trump starts by saying it's an honour to have Rutte here.

    Stick with us and we'll bring you any updates as soon as we get them.

    You can watch the meeting live at the top of this page.

  10. Analysis

    If Trump hates one thing above all... it's the notion of the US being ripped offpublished at 16:12 British Summer Time

    Paul Adams
    Diplomatic correspondent

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) talks with US President Donald Trump (C) and US Vice President JD Vance (R) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 28 February 2025Image source, EPA

    If President Trump hates one thing above all, it’s the notion that the USA is being ripped off.

    It’s a perception that’s long informed his attitude to the war in Ukraine. In the president’s view, there’s no reason why Washington should help to protect Ukraine without being properly compensated.

    That’s why today’s anticipated announcement is significant.

    Not just because it marks the first time since returning to office that Trump will have made fresh US weapons available. But because, thanks to months of tortuous negotiations, the US will sell weapons to fellow Nato members who will then make them available to Kyiv.

    Ukraine will get the weapons. The US will make money. Everyone is happy.

    “We’re sending weapons to Nato and Nato is paying for those weapons, 100%,” the president told NBC News last week.

    Strictly speaking, it’s not Nato itself which is buying the weapons or making them available, but Nato members.

    At the same time, Ukraine’s President Zelensky says his officials are discussing a range of joint projects with European partners which will see direct investment in Ukraine’s growing defence industry, as well as weapons production at sites outside Ukraine.

  11. Senate bill seeks to pressure Russia to engage with peace talkspublished at 15:55 British Summer Time

    Sakshi Venkatraman
    Reporting from New York

    U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to the media, after a Senate GOP lunch, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 28, 2025Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Senator Lindsey Graham pictured speaking to the media last month

    As Trump ramped up his criticism of the Kremlin in recent days, a sweeping Russia sanctions bill has been gaining steam in the Senate.

    In April, senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal led 50 senators in introducing a bipartisan bill to pressure Putin to engage in peace talks.

    The bill would introduce sanctions against Russia if the country refused to engage in negotiations with Ukraine or takes military action that undermines Ukraine's sovereignty.

    It would also impose a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian products like oil and uranium.

    “The dominating view in the United States Senate is that Russia is the aggressor, and that this horrific war and Putin’s aggression must end now and be deterred in the future," Graham said in a press release.

    “We share President Trump’s frustration with Russia when it comes to obtaining a ceasefire, and support President Trump’s desire to achieve a lasting, just and honourable peace," he added.

  12. Trump and Nato chief expected to speak from White House soonpublished at 15:32 British Summer Time

    We are just waiting to hear from US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.

    Their bilateral meeting in the White House is expected to start shortly.

    Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest updates. You'll be able to follow it by pressing the watch live button at the top of this page.

  13. What happened during the Nato chief's last White House visit?published at 15:12 British Summer Time

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    U.S. President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 13, 2025Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Nato Chief Mark Rutte (L) in the Oval Office with the US president in March

    Today's visit to the White House isn't Nato Secretary General's Mark Rutte's first trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    He last came on 13 March, under remarkably different circumstances. That meeting, which came just weeks after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky's infamous Oval Office meeting, came at a time in which Trump and the White House continued to insist that a ceasefire was perhaps just around the corner.

    In an interview with Bloomberg shortly afterwards, Rutte called it "very positive" and said he felt there was an "absolutely clear commitment" towards the Nato alliance from Trump.

    "I think good things are going to happen," Trump told reporters in the room. "I really do".

    While he called the possibility of a 30-day ceasefire a "very smart plan", Rutte was also more cautious in his language.

    "We are absolutely not there yet," he said.

    As we've been reporting, today's meeting also comes after Nato member states committed to raise their defence spending to 5% of GDP, which is something Trump has long called for.

  14. Trump says US has been giving other countries 'free ride' on defencepublished at 14:58 British Summer Time

    U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after attending the FIFA Club World Cup final upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S, July 13, 2025Image source, Reuters

    In a new post of his Truth Social social media platform, President Trump says the US has been "ripped off" on trade and military spending for decades, claiming it has cost the country trillions of dollars.

    "Countries should sit back and say: thank you for the many-years-long free ride, but we know you now have to do what’s right for America. We should respond by saying: thank you for understanding the situation we are in. Greatly appreciated!" he wrote.

    Since he took office, Trump has been putting pressure on US allies to up their spending, specifically on defence.

    Much of his criticism has been focused on Nato member states, of which the US has historically ranked among the highest in terms of military spending.

    In response, Nato's 32 members have agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035.

  15. Four killed in Russian strikes on Sumy, Ukraine's regional governor sayspublished at 14:44 British Summer Time

    Rubble in Sumy after Russian strikesImage source, STATE EMERGENCY OF UKRAINE/GETTY IMAGES

    Four people have been killed by Russian strikes in Sumy, which borders Russia in north-eastern Ukraine, the region's administrator says.

    "The number of injured people as a result of an enemy UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] strike on a medical facility in Sumy has increased to four", Oleg Grigorov says on social media.

    Earlier on today, the Ukrainian state emergency service said two people had been killed and four more injured by Russian strikes on the region.

    Pictures released by the emergency service show firefighters tackling burning buildings in the area.

    A firefighter with a hoseImage source, STATE EMERGENCY OF UKRAINE/GETTY IMAGES
    A burning building in SumyImage source, 'STATE EMERGENCY OF UKRAINE/GETTY IMAGES
  16. What's been happening?published at 14:25 British Summer Time

    Donald TrumpImage source, Reuters

    As we've been reporting, we’re expecting a “major” statement from Donald Trump later today, which could well be about the war in Ukraine.

    But if you've just joined us, or are in need of a quick catch-up, here's the latest:

    • Meanwhile, Trump’s exasperation with Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly clear, our White House reporter writes. The US president says Putin "talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening"
  17. Weapons and ceasefire prospects discussed with US envoy, Ukraine sayspublished at 14:02 British Summer Time

    Zelensky and Kellogg shake handsImage source, Reuters

    We've got a little more detail from Ukrainian President Zelensky's meeting today with the US envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

    In a statement, the Ukrainian president's office says the pair have been discussing the prospect of a ceasefire, as well as the purchase of weapons to defend Ukraine.

    It describes how the meeting "also focused on the overall front-line situation" as well as "the needs of Ukrainian warriors", for whom Kellogg expressed his respect.

    The statement also says after Trump suggested the US would be sending Patriot missile defence systems to Ukraine, Zelensky "confirmed Ukraine’s readiness to purchase American weapons, particularly air defence systems".

    "The parties also discussed joint drone production, the possibility of direct purchases of Ukrainian UAVs by the United States, and the potential for arms procurement in co-operation with European partners," it adds.

  18. Trump urged by senators to sanction Russia furtherpublished at 13:26 British Summer Time

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    We still don't have clear and precise details of what President Trump plans to announce later today. But some lawmakers have been vocally pushing him to announce additional sanctions on Russia.

    One bipartisan bill, which has the support of 85 of 100 US senators, would levy extremely high tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and uranium.

    One of the bill's authors, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, has repeatedly described those tariffs as a "sledgehammer" that could bring Russia to the negotiating table.

    "We're going after the people who keep Putin in business, and additional sanctions on Russia itself," Graham told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, adding "that's the money Putin used to prosecute the war".

    Additionally, some lawmakers have hinted that the US, together with European allies, could access frozen Russian assets, including $5bn (£3.7bn) frozen by US authorities.

    This money could then be used in a trust account for Ukraine to use.

    The step, however, would be unprecedented. No US president has ever taken the central bank assets of a foreign country that the US is not at war with.

  19. 'Positive signs' on air defence system sales, Germany sayspublished at 13:07 British Summer Time

    Boris Pistorious sits amongst a group of empty purple chairs, speaking on a mobile phone.Image source, Getty

    Germany's defence ministry says there are very positive signs from Washington on the sale of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine.

    A spokesperson says that talks are now being held on the logistics of the deal, which examines, among other things, "how many systems there will be, who will take them over and how they will be financed."

    Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon later today.

  20. When will we hear from Trump today?published at 12:56 British Summer Time

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    It's still early morning in the US, where President Trump will meet with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House at 10:00 local time (15:00 BST).

    For the moment, that meeting is taking place behind closed-doors, with no access for the "pool" of White House reporters.

    These meetings, however, often open up to reporters with little notice, meaning that it's still possible that we see Trump on camera.

    At noon local time, Trump will also participate in a luncheon of the White House Faith Office. Journalists will be allowed into the event - and many are likely to fire questions about today's announcement in Trump's direction.

    As always, we could also hear from Trump, at any point, via posts on Truth Social.

    There is no White House briefing scheduled today.