Friday Briefing

Trump said he trusted Putin to keep a Ukraine peace deal

President Trump met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain in Washington yesterday. While sitting beside the British leader in the Oval Office, Trump repeatedly said that he believed that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, would not violate the terms of whatever peace deal might be reached to end the war in Ukraine.

“I think he’ll keep his word,” Trump said. “I’ve known him for a long time now.”

His attitude toward Moscow could hardly be more different than Starmer’s, who had come to the White House to pledge troops to a postwar peacekeeping effort, and to urge Trump not to abandon Ukraine to Putin’s demands.

Trump was asked whether the U.S. would aid Britain if it were to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and Russia reneged on a peace deal. The president waffled. In the span of one minute, Trump seemed to say no, and then yes, before returning to no. “They don’t need help,” he said.

Tariffs: Trump said that tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico would go into effect on March 4, claiming that the countries had still not done enough to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. He said on social media that China would face an additional 10 percent tariff next week. Economists have warned that sweeping tariffs could cause prices to rise and set off trade wars.

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• Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

Trump said he trusted Putin to keep a Ukraine peace deal

President Trump met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain in Washington yesterday. While sitting beside the British leader in the Oval Office, Trump repeatedly said that he believed that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, would not violate the terms of whatever peace deal might be reached to end the war in Ukraine.

“I think he’ll keep his word,” Trump said. “I’ve known him for a long time now.”

His attitude toward Moscow could hardly be more different than Starmer’s, who had come to the White House to pledge troops to a postwar peacekeeping effort, and to urge Trump not to abandon Ukraine to Putin’s demands.

Trump was asked whether the U.S. would aid Britain if it were to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and Russia reneged on a peace deal. The president waffled. In the span of one minute, Trump seemed to say no, and then yes, before returning to no. “They don’t need help,” he said.

Tariffs: Trump said that tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico would go into effect on March 4, claiming that the countries had still not done enough to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. He said on social media that China would face an additional 10 percent tariff next week. Economists have warned that sweeping tariffs could cause prices to rise and set off trade wars.

More on Trump

• The Times has identified 45 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. This is who they are.

• Elon Musk said efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Uganda were only “very briefly” canceled by accident. But at least four of the five contracts for Ebola-related work there were terminated, aid officials said.

• The Trump administration released a memo declaring that transgender troops would be forced out of the military.

• The Trump administration is curtailing the ability of lawyers to raise internal objections to the president’s use of power.

• Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat, can’t stop talking about egg prices.

• Track Trump’s actions since he took office.