Turnberry, Scotland — US President Donald Trump set a new deadline of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine or face consequences, underscoring frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the three-and-a-half year war.
Trump has threatened sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless progress is made.
Trump said in Scotland, where he is holding meetings with European leaders and playing golf, he was disappointed in Putin and shortened a 50-day deadline he had set on the issue earlier this month.
“I'm going to make a new deadline of about … 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “There’s no reason in waiting…. We just don’t see any progress being made.”
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
No reason to wait
Trump, who has said he is also annoyed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has not always followed up on his tough talk about Putin with action, citing what he deems a good relationship that the two men have had previously.
On Monday Trump indicated he was not interested in more talks with Putin. He said sanctions and tariffs would be used as penalties for Moscow if it did not meet Trump’s demands.
“There’s no reason to wait. If you know what the answer is going to be, why wait? And it would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs,” Trump said. “I don’t want to do that to Russia. I love the Russian people.”
Disappointed
The US president has repeatedly voiced exasperation with Putin for continuing attacks on Ukraine despite US efforts to end the war. Trump has played up successes in other parts of the world where the US has helped to broker peace agreements and has been flattered by some leaders who suggest he should be given the Nobel peace prize.
“I’m disappointed in President Putin,” Trump said on Monday. “I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen.”
Before returning to the White House in January, Trump had promised to end the conflict within 24 hours.
“We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” Trump said.
“And I say that’s not the way to do it.”
Reuters
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