Trump gives Russia deadline to make Ukraine peace deal
United States President Donald Trump expressed mounting frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he warned of new economic penalties on Russia if a peace deal with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days, according to Africa News on July 14th.
The ultimatum was issued during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia,” Trump stated. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.”
He later clarified that these “secondary tariffs” would be aimed at Russia’s trading partners, a bid seeking to deepen Moscow’s economic isolation.Â
Also during the meeting, Trump and Rutte finalised a new arms deal under which European allies will purchase “billions of dollars” in U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia has outlined a set of conditions it claims must be met before it ends its war against Ukraine, though details remain vague and heavily disputed by Western officials.
Throughout Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he repeatedly insisted he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office.Â
Since returning to power in January, he has argued that Moscow has been more open to a peace settlement then Kyiv- even going so far as to accuse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately prolonging the conflict, labelling him a “dictator without elections.”
However, Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas appear to have tested Trumps patience. In April, he publicly called on Putin to “STOP!” the attacks on Kyiv, and in May he declared that the Russian leader “has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Â
Trump’s new tariff threat and weapons deal reflect a tougher stance on the conflict, as the war continues without a clear path to resolution.
Africa News, Maghrebi.org
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