Donald Trump set to cut Vladimir Putin’s 50-day deadline to end Ukraine war

Donald Trump has stepped up his hardline approach with Vladimir Putin and made his strongest threat yet to the Russian leader to end Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Donald Trump will set Vladimir Putin a new deadline of “10 or 12 days” - instead of the initial 50 days - to end the war in Ukraine in an attempt to punish the Russian President for failing to negotiate a peace deal so far.

Mr Trump handed Mr Putin the 50-day ultimatum earlier this month, warning Moscow to make an agreement with Ukraine within 50 days from July 14, or risk being slapped with 100 per cent secondary tariffs.

“I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason in waiting, we just don’t see any progress being made,” the US President told reporters as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his luxury golf course in Turnberry in western Scotland on Tuesday morning (AEDT).

“I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him.

“We’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number,” Mr Trump said.

Donald Trump says he will cut the 50-day deadline he has set Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Picture: Getty Images

Ukraine praised Mr Trump for his hardline approach towards Mr Putin.

“Thanks to President Trump for standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength,” Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.

“When America leads with strength, others think twice.”

On July 14, Mr Trump said said he was “very unhappy” with Russia as they continued to incessantly bomb Ukraine.

“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Mr Trump said at the time.

“I’m disappointed in Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there.”

Russia described the ultimatum as “very serious” and would take time to review it.

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RUSSIA STRIKES AS UKRAINE FIRES BACK WITH DRONE ATTACK

It comes after Russia struck several regions of Ukraine last weekend, reporting one person killed in Dnipro, while Moscow said two people died after a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said one person was killed in a high-rise apartment complex on Saturday.

Across the border, Russia’s acting governor of Rostov said a car caught fire following a drone strike.

“Tragically, two people died,” Yuri Sliusar posted on Telegram. Ukrainian officials in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia all reported coming under Russian fire overnight.

Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of twelve Ukrainian servicemen and prisoners of war (POWs), who died being held in Russian captivity, during a funeral ceremony in Lviv, western Ukraine. Picture: AFP

In Dnipro, Filatov urged people to take precautions during Russian attacks. “I understand that there aren’t enough shelters, but I must say: during shelling, it is absolutely not advisable to stay on the upper floors, especially when there is an underground parking area available,” he posted on Telegram.

Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said that his city had come under sustained bombardment “for almost three hours”.

“The enemy used several types of weapons simultaneously: guided bombs, ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones,” he added.

In Zaporizhzhia, Governor Ivan Fedorov said several fires broke out following Russian drone attacks, one of which hit a residential building while another damaged a farm warehouse.

Rescuers work at a damaged city hospital that was hit by a Russian guided air bomb in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a meeting with counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war, with Kyiv proposing talks by the end of August.

But the Kremlin on Thursday downplayed the likelihood any such meeting was imminent.

Both sides have radically different positions at the negotiating table, and Ukraine has accused Russia of sending only low-level officials with no decision-making power.

Russia has called on Ukraine to effectively cede four regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.

Ukraine meanwhile has been pleading with its Western backers to send more weapons for its troops to withstand daily Russian attacks.

Originally published as Donald Trump set to cut Vladimir Putin’s 50-day deadline to end Ukraine war