There should finally be peace: while U.S. President Donald Trump tightens the screws on warlord Vladimir Putin with tariff threats and ultimatums, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expresses gratitude. Moscow, however, refuses to stand idly by and is furious. Amid the ongoing brutal fighting in Ukraine, Trump is putting increasing pressure on Russia.
Since he sees no prospects for a ceasefire, the Republican leader wants to impose U.S. sanctions on Russian trade partners in less than two weeks. "There’s no reason to wait. We simply see no progress," said Trump, expressing disappointment with Putin. "I'm no longer interested in talking to him. We used to have such pleasant, respectful conversations.
And then the next night, people are dying again as missiles rain down on cities," summarized the U.S. president. Zelensky echoed those sentiments in his nightly video address: Russia, he said, is doing everything it can to prolong the war and destroy Ukraine. “We have repeatedly emphasized — and all our partners know — that sanctions are a key element,” he stated. Peace through strength is possible, Zelensky added, because Russia is feeling the pressure of sanctions and the resulting losses.
"The whole world needs peace and predictability — everyone, except Russia," the Ukrainian leader continued on X. He noted that “the Russian military killed 22 people in Ukraine in just the last day — right when people had begun to hope the killing might end.” That night, Russian missiles struck a city hospital. Three people were killed, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman. Zelensky said he was deeply shocked.
“And this,” he added, “after the United States had taken a completely clear position — one supported by the world — that Russia must end this war and move toward diplomacy.” Trump Gives Putin ‘Ten to Twelve Days’ to End the War Due to the lack of a ceasefire, U.S. sanctions against Russia’s trade partners may come into effect in under two weeks. “I’m going to set a new deadline of about ten to twelve days from today,” Trump said Monday during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland.
Trump is shortening a 50-day ultimatum he had announced in mid-July. “I’ll reduce the 50 days I gave to a smaller number,” the U.S. president said, referring to Putin. He accused the Russian leader of breaking agreements: “We thought this had already been settled several times — and then President Putin starts launching missiles at a city like Kyiv, killing people in a nursing home or wherever.”
Medvedev Threatens War Against the U.S. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, known for his harsh rhetoric, responded forcefully. If Trump intends to shorten the deadline to pressure Russia into ending the war with Ukraine, “he should remember that every ultimatum is a step toward war,” Medvedev wrote on X — “not with Ukraine, but with his own country,” he threatened.
