US President Donald Trump gave Moscow 50 days on Monday to end the war or face severe sanctions, announcing the dispatch of a large arms shipment to Ukraine via NATO.
After months of communication with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in an effort to reach an agreement to end the war, Trump expressed regret that "we thought we had a deal about four times," but each time the Russian president continued bombing Ukraine.
Putin had refused to end the war he started in Ukraine in February 2022.
"I'm very disappointed in President Putin," Trump told reporters at the White House during a visit by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "I thought we were going to make a deal two months ago." He added, "If we don't make a deal in 50 days, it's very simple. We'll impose tariffs, and it's 100%."
Trump emphasized that "these will be secondary tariffs," meaning they will target Russia's remaining trading partners, undermining Moscow's ability to withstand the Western sanctions already imposed on it.
At the same time, Ukraine will receive a massive amount of weapons to bolster its forces in the face of the Russian invasion.
The US President said, "We have made a very important deal. Billions of dollars' worth of military equipment will be purchased from the United States, sent to NATO, and quickly deployed to the battlefield."
The NATO Secretary General said, "This means Ukraine will receive massive amounts of military equipment, including air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has worked to reconnect with Putin and negotiate directly with him to end the war.
However, the diplomatic process stalled after talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul, Turkey.
In eastern Ukraine, where fighting has escalated, Private Adistron, 29, said he was "very happy" that his country would soon receive more Patriot systems, which he asserted are effective in protecting civilians and military personnel.
"Without them, we are helpless," he told AFP. "So, Mr. Trump, give us more, more Patriots."
"Better late than never," said another private, who identified himself as Grizzly, 29. "With the Patriot systems they are giving us, our families will be safer."
Russia has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, and Moscow has recently increased the number of missiles and drones it launches to record levels.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday that he had held a "fruitful" meeting with US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, thanking Donald Trump for the "important signs of support and positive decisions between our two countries."
The Ukrainian president wrote on social media, "We discussed the path to peace and what we can do practically to bring it closer."
He indicated that this includes "strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, joint production and arms purchases in cooperation with Europe, as well as sanctions against Russia" and its supporters.
Ukraine, as well as many members of the US Congress, including Republicans close to Trump, are pushing the US president to impose new sanctions on Moscow.
However, Trump has rejected this, indicating that he wants to give diplomacy a chance.
Meanwhile, the Russian military continues its advance on the ground.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it had taken control of two Ukrainian villages. One, Mayak, is located in the Donetsk region (eastern Ukraine), while the other, Malinivka, is located in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Meanwhile, attacks killed three civilians on Monday in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, bordering Russia in northeastern Ukraine, according to local authorities.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy proposed on Monday the appointment of Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko as prime minister, a major political shakeup in the country.
Sviridenko said on social media that Ukraine is going through a "critical" phase.
Her nomination still needs parliamentary approval.
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