‘I already know the answer’ — Trump to shorten Ukraine deadline for Putin to 10–12 days
Editor's note: This story was updated with comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 28 that he aims to shorten the 50-day deadline he had set to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a peace deal in Ukraine, expressing disappointment with the Kremlin leader.
The U.S. president was referring to his July 14 warning that Washington would impose up to 100% in secondary tariffs on Russia unless Moscow agreed to a peace deal in Ukraine within the next 50 days.
"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 alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Turnberry golf club in Scotland.
"So we are going to have to look, and I am going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer — what is going to happen."
Trump said he now plans to impose a 10- to 12-day deadline starting July 28. "There's no reason in waiting," he said. "It's 50 days, I wanted to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made."
When asked by a reporter whether he still wanted to meet with Putin, Trump replied, "I'm not so interested in talking anymore. He talks with such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations, and then people died the following night."
During a July 14 meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the White House, Trump said he "is disappointed in President Putin" and warned he would impose "severe tariffs" if a ceasefire in Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.
The proposed tariffs would target Russian imports and impose secondary sanctions on nations purchasing Russian oil. Given the limited direct trade between the U.S. and Russia, these secondary measures are expected to have a significant effect by targeting other buyers.
Despite Trump's warnings, Russia has continued drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and maintains offensives on multiple areas of the front line, especially in Donetsk and Sumy oblasts.
Trump's latest statement followed the third round of Ukraine-Russia talks on July 23, which, like the previous rounds, ended without a ceasefire agreement.
In the meantime, Russia continues to push for the same core demands it outlined at the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022: a ban on Ukraine joining NATO, large-scale demilitarization of the country, and legal "guarantees" for the Russian language, culture, and Moscow-linked religious groups in Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week that Trump is "losing his patience" with Russia over the war in Ukraine, adding, "the time has come for some action." The U.S. president has already signaled that the sanctions could come earlier than the 50-day deadline.
