By Ayo Kehinde
U.S. President, Donald Trump, on Monday, set a 10 to 12-day deadline for Russia to show progress toward ending its war in Ukraine.
Expressing his frustration over Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s decision to continue airstrikes against civilian targets in Ukraine, the U.S. president said he was “very disappointed” and has decided to shorten the 50-day deadline set earlier.
“We thought we had it settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kiev and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever. You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say that’s not the way to do it. So we’ll see what happens with that”, Trump told newsmen on Monday outside his hotel in Turnberry, South Ayrshire in Scotland
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose “very severe” tariffs on Russia if Putin did not agree a ceasefire within 50 days, with the deadline due to expire on September 2.
But on Monday, he said he would “reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number”, adding: “I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen.”
Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine are expected to feature on the agenda for Starmer’s meeting with Trump on Monday, along with the situation in Gaza and progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal.
Last week, London said both men were “set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war” and “reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table”.
Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine continues, with Russian drone and missile strikes hitting the country’s north-eastern Sumy region on Sunday. Russian officials claimed to have shot down 150 Ukrainian drones, with one person killed and three others injured near St Petersburg.
