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President Trump said Monday that he’s giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 to 12 days to end the war in Ukraine or face massive “secondary tariffs” on Moscow’s trade partners.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump had given Mr. Putin a 50-day deadline, set to expire in early September, to strike a peace deal with Ukraine. The president’s new, shortened deadline reflects his frustration with Mr. Putin.
Speaking alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting in Scotland, Mr. Trump said the new deadline is necessary because the U.S. does not see “any progress being made.”
“I’d say 10 to 12 days,” Mr. Trump said. “But there’s no reason to wait. If you know what the answer is going to be, why wait?”
Russia fired a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine on Sunday night, according to officials in Kyiv. Mr. Putin continues to bomb Ukrainian cities despite calls for Mr. Trump to reach a deal, while peace efforts have failed to gain momentum.
The move garnered praise from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Too many innocent lives are at stake for President Trump to let Putin continue playing him for time. This shorter deadline is a positive step, but long overdue,” Ms. Shaheen said in a statement.
If no deal is reached under the new timeline, Mr. Trump would likely impose sanctions and secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s trading partners, making it more difficult to do business with Moscow. A formal announcement was expected late Monday or Tuesday, Mr. Trump said.
As of Monday afternoon, the Kremlin had not commented publicly on Mr. Trump’s new deadline. Russia’s ruble weakened more than 2% on Monday, its lowest since mid-May after Mr. Trump’s initial announcement.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump said he would impose 100% tariffs on Russia if it did not halt the fighting. The levies would fall on countries that buy Russian exports such as oil, which Washington and Ukraine’s Western allies view as tacit support for Russia.
The secondary sanctions would likely hit India and China, Russia’s two major trading partners. That could force both nations to ramp up pressure on Russia to reach a deal.
When asked about meeting in person with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump said, “I’m not so interested in talking anymore.”
“He talks with such nice conversation, such respectful and nice conversations,” Mr. Trump said. “And then, people die the following night with a missile going into a town and hitting.”
Mr. Trump vented his frustration with Mr. Putin, accusing him of talking about ending the war, only to continue bombing Ukraine.
“We thought we had [a peace deal] 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,” Mr. Trump said. “And I say, ’that’s not the way to do it.’ I’m disappointed in President Putin.”
Mr. Putin has repeatedly declared that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia annexed in September 2022 but has never fully captured. He also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces, which Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected.
Ukrainian officials welcomed Mr. Trump’s ultimatum, saying it was part of the tough actions needed to target Russia. They also publicly mused that the 50-day deadline was too long.
Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukraine. Ukraine’s depleted army has recently been losing more territory, but there is no sign of a looming collapse on the front lines.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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