Going around in circles — Trump sets new deadline for peace in Ukraine, Graham again threatens with tough legislation
Donald Trump leaves the stage after taking part in a roundtable discussion hosted by Building America's Future in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump's administration will know within two weeks whether there will be peace in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 21 in an interview on the Todd Starnes Show, warning that if not, he will "take a different tact."
These comments are the latest in a series of deadlines Trump has set for Ukraine's war — none of which have been followed by action when they came and went.
"We will know in within two weeks whether there will be peace in Ukraine. After that we will have to maybe take a different tact," Trump told conservative commentator Todd Starnes.
Trump met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 18, a few days after American president's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. No progress has been achieved.
Trump wrote on Aug. 21 on Truth Social that Ukraine cannot win the war without striking inside Russia, accusing former U.S. President Joe Biden of only allowing Ukraine to "defend, not fight back."
Trump claimed the war would not have happened if he had been in office, adding: "Interesting times ahead!"
The remarks differ from his position in December 2024, when, in an interview with Time magazine before taking office, he called it a "big mistake" for Washington to let Ukraine use U.S.-supplied weapons against targets deep inside Russia, warning such strikes risked dangerous escalation.
The Biden administration had approved the use of U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes inside Russia in 2024.
Earlier on Aug. 21, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham demanded that Russia return thousands of Ukrainian children abducted during the war, warning he will push legislation to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism if Moscow refuses.
"During the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has kidnapped over 19,000 Ukrainian children. Stealing children from their home country is a despicable and barbaric act," Graham wrote on X. "As I have been saying since earlier this year, I intend to push legislation to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they do not return the children."
The South Carolina Republican added that such a designation "will make doing business with Putin's Russia radioactive for other countries and businesses."
The U.S. currently designates Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism, a classification made by the secretary of state without congressional approval.
The label carries sweeping sanctions, including restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance, a ban on defense exports and sales, and financial limitations.
Ukraine says Russia has abducted at least 19,546 children since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, transferring them to Russia, Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, or Belarus. Just 1,560 have been returned, according to the Ukrainian initiative "Bring Kids Back UA."
Human rights groups and Ukrainian officials say the real figure is likely far higher, with estimates ranging from 150,000 to 300,000. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and other officials have warned that Moscow has systematized the deportations, with children placed in Russian foster families or adoption programs.
Ukrainian NGO Save Ukraine denounced Russia on Aug. 6 after discovering an online "catalog" of children maintained by Russian occupation authorities in Luhansk Oblast. The database lists 294 children, many with Ukrainian citizenship, sorted by traits such as eye and hair color, according to the group.
Some children were issued Russian identification documents to legitimize their abduction, while others had lost parents to Russian forces.
The demand to return abducted children has been one of key points part of Ukraine's peace talks with Russia.
