Ukraine-Russia struggle newest: Trump ‘asks Zelensky about striking Moscow and considers sending Tomahawk missiles’ | EUROtoday

Donald Trump said his shift in imposing punitive actions on Russia was motivated by frustration with Vladimir Putin.

“We really had most likely 4 occasions a deal. And then the deal would not occur as a result of bombs can be thrown out that evening and also you’d say we’re not making any offers,” Mr Trump said.

Last week he said, “We get plenty of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin.”

Since returning to the White House promising a quick end to the war, Mr Trump has sought rapprochement with Moscow, speaking several times with Mr Putin.

His administration has pulled back from pro-Ukrainian policies such as backing Kyiv’s membership in Nato and demanding Russia withdraw from all Ukrainian territory.

But the Russian leader has yet to accept a proposal from Mr Trump for an unconditional ceasefire, which was quickly endorsed by Kyiv. Recent days have seen Russia use hundreds of drones to attack Ukrainian cities.

Vladimir Putin will continue fighting in Ukraine and is unfazed by Donald Trump’s threat of further sanctions, three sources close to the Kremlin have told Reuters news agency.

Moscow’s territorial demands may widen as Russian troops advance in the war-torn country, the sources added.

They said the Russian president believes Russia’s economy and military are strong enough to weather additional Western measures

Mr Trump on Monday expressed frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree a ceasefire and announced a wave of weapons supplies to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. He also threatened further sanctions on Russia unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days.

“Putin thinks nobody has significantly engaged with him on the small print of peace in Ukraine – together with the Americans – so he’ll proceed till he will get what he needs,” one of the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“Putin values the connection with Trump and had good discussions with Witkoff, however the pursuits of Russia come above all else,” the individual added.

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday he had officially filed a resignation letter, as a part of a major governmental reshuffle expected this week.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday nominated first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko for the post.

Sweden will contribute to efforts to boost arms supplies to Ukraine following US president Donald Trump’s decision to supply billions of dollars of weapons, including Patriot missile systems, via Nato.

“We welcome the American determination to make potential elevated sanctions towards Russia and to pave the best way for the supply of Patriots and different weapon methods to Ukraine,” Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson said in an emailed comment to Reuters.

“Sweden will contribute.” Jonson did not provide further about the support.

Donald Trump has not turned against Vladimir Putin. Rather, he has just announced a big day of future sales for the US arms industry with a buying bonanza for Ukraine by Nato.

With the secretary general of Nato sitting next to him in the Oval Office, the US president warned that Russia would face “100 per cent” tariffs if it did not agree to a ceasefire with Kyiv inside 50 days.

He went on to criticise Putin several times for his warm approach and manner on the telephone which he then followed up by renewed missile attacks on Ukraine.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

US president Donald Trump has said billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine, including more than a dozen Patriot air defence missiles.

“We’re going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and so they’ll be despatched to Nato,” Mr Trump said, adding that Washington’s Nato allies would pay for them.

The weapons would include Patriot air defence missiles Ukraine has urgently sought, he said.

“It’s a full complement with the batteries,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to have some come very quickly, inside days.”

“We have one nation that has 17 Patriots on the brink of be shipped… we’ll work a deal the place the 17 will go or a giant portion of the 17 will go to the struggle website,” he stated.

Nato secretary common Mark Rutte, who was sitting alongside Mr Trump within the Oval Office, stated Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada all needed to be part of rearming Ukraine.

Moscow needs to know what motivated US president Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia should conform to a peace deal in Ukraine inside a 50-day deadline, Russian international minister Sergei Lavrov stated.

Lavrov, talking at a press convention on the twenty fifth Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers assembly within the Chinese metropolis Tianjin, stated he had little doubt that Russia will deal with any new sanctions.

Donald Trump, as soon as a fierce critic of the Nato, is now much more constructive about the way forward for the army alliance.

The US president was requested by the BBC whether or not Nato had grow to be “obsolete” – a phrase he has used to explain it earlier than.

“No. I think Nato is now becoming the opposite of that,” he told the broadcaster, adding that the alliance is “paying their own bills”.

In late June, Nato allies agreed to boost their defence spending to 5 per cent of gross domestic product, a move the White House had repeatedly demanded since taking office.

Mr Trump added that he still believes in collective defence to allow smaller countries to defend themselves against bigger ones.