NANCY CORDES:
00:00:50
Surrounded by his cabinet, President Trump had harsh words for a man he praised so often in the past. We get a lot of bull [BLEEP] thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.
NANCY CORDES:
00:01:06
The president's frustration stems from Putin's seeming disinterest in ending the war he started in 2022. In fact, the Russians have been stepping up attacks on civilian targets in Kyiv, even as the White House tries to broker a ceasefire. Trump now says he might even support a tough new sanctions bill gaining steam in the Senate. It would impose steep taxes on countries that import Russian oil and gas. We recognize that when you have adversaries that are being aggressive, you have to stop them.
NANCY CORDES:
00:01:40
On Tuesday, Trump even appeared to break with his own Defense Department, which unexpectedly halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, with some officials claiming supplies were running low. It's not clear Trump signed off on that. And on Tuesday, he said he wants shipments to resume. We want to put defensive weapons because Putin, he's not treating human beings right. He's killing too many people. So we're sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine. And I've approved that.
NANCY CORDES:
00:02:12
That drew a sharp reaction from the Kremlin, with its spokesman saying it's obvious that deliveries are continuing. These actions hardly align with attempts to facilitate peaceful resolution. President Trump also announced a major new global tariff in his cabinet meeting yesterday. He said imported copper will now be taxed at 50% just like steel and aluminum. He also warned a 200% tariff on foreign pharmaceuticals could be coming soon, which could drive up the price of the huge number of drugs that are produced outside the United States. Nate? Nancy, thank you.
