Expectations for peace in Ukraine are too high, says Putin
At a meeting in Russia on Friday with President Lukashenko of Belarus, Putin gave no reason to think that Moscow's stalling over a ceasefire was about to end.
Trump has threatened Russia with new sanctions if it does not agree to a truce and move towards peace in Ukraine by August 8.
Putin, however, said that Russian troops were attacking Ukraine along the entire front line and that the momentum was in their favour. He said some progress had been made in three rounds of talks with Ukraine and that the negotiations would continue, but he did not refer to Trump's deadline.
'As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations,' he said. 'This is a well known general rule but, to approach the issue peacefully, it is necessary to conduct detailed conversations and not in public — this must be done calmly, in the quiet of the negotiation process.'
Russia has consistently resisted a swift ceasefire, arguing that Moscow's grievances over Nato expansion and the supposed mistreatment of Russians in Ukraine must be addressed before hostilities can cease.
Putin has also sidestepped requests for a meeting from President Zelensky of Ukraine. Calling again for talks, Zelensky said on Friday: 'We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too.'
In July, Trump set Putin a deadline of September after several previous ultimatums had been ignored. He has now accelerated the timetable in a sign of his growing impatience with Putin. Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, said after a call with Zelensky on Friday that he and Zelensky 'welcomed the president's new deadline', Downing Street said.
Trump returned to the White House this year with a promise to resolve the conflict in '24 hours', and said in his inaugural address that he was determined to go down in history as a peacemaker.
However, Putin has been able to turn incremental gains across the front lines into a dangerous summer offensive. Russia recently said it had captured the strategic town of Chasiv Yar, although Kyiv denied the claim.
Putin announced on Friday that Russia had begun mass production of Oreshnik, its hypersonic nuclear-capable missile, which it used last year to strike Dnipro.
With Ukraine apparently on the back foot, Trump has increased tariffs on India, a Kremlin ally. Announcing a 25 per cent tariff on Wednesday, Trump tied his decision to India's economic alliance with Russia. India has benefited from the war by buying discounted Russian oil, and continues to buy Russian weaponry.
'They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,' Trump wrote on Truth Social, warning that Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who makes anti-western jibes on social media, should 'watch his words'.
• Trump brands India and Russia 'dead economies' in tariff row
Trump said that recent attacks on Ukraine were 'disgusting' as Kyiv observed a day of mourning on Friday after 31 people, including five children, died from Russian drone and missile attacks.
Zelensky said that in July Russia had launched more than 5,100 glide bombs, more than 3,800 Shahed drones and nearly 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine.
Asked about sanctions against Russia, Trump said: 'Yeah, we have about eight days. Yeah, we're going to put sanctions.' However, he seemed to question whether they would stop Russian attacks.'I don't know that sanctions bother him,' he said. 'I don't know if that has any effect, but we're going to do it.'
On Friday, Zelensky said on Telegram: 'No matter how much the Kremlin denies effectiveness, they [sanctions] are working and must be stronger.'
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The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump ‘open to' Zelensky attending Alaska summit with Putin
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Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ukraine drone attack kills one, damages industrial facility in Saratov, Russia says
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The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: European leaders urge pressure on Russia ahead of Trump-Putin talks
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