Russian PM's extraordinary claim as Trump threatens 'severe consequences'
The Kremlin says it "did not notice" Donald Trump's "decorative ultimatum to Moscow" yesterday in which he gave Vladimir Putin 50 days to end the war or face "severe" consequences.
After involving the US in Israel's war against Iran, Trump has refocused his sights on the Russia-Ukraine conflict - threatening Putin with "very severe tariffs if we don't have a [peace] deal in 50 days".
He warned he was"very, very unhappy" with Moscow and the US would be issuing 100% secondary tariffs in the event of Russia's non-compliance with his demands.
Trump, who has sold himself as a dealmaker who can end the world's wars, has repeatedly made efforts to end the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. At first, Putin seemed to be on board, but it didn't take long for Trump to realise the despot was holding back.
In the first official Kremlin reaction since Trump made his demands, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, said: "Trump has declared a decorative ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. The belligerent European Union is disappointed. Russia did not notice it."
The Kremlin has received Trump's previous threats in a similar way. In April, Trump warned Putin to stop striking the capital of Kyiv and branded the tyrant as "crazy", but nothing changed and the Kremlin continued with its attacks.
Trump dismissed claims that he had been fooled into believing the Russian president was keen on peace.
Trump said: 'I speak to him a lot and I go away and say ' that was a nice conversation.' Then the missiles happen and after three or four times you realise the talk doesn't mean anything.'
He then went on to claim he had not been duped by Putin but said the Russian leader had fooled others before him.
Without an official statement from the Kremlin yesterday, state-aligned media stepped in, with pro-Kremlin military blogger Yuri Kotenok taking to Telegram to say: 'Trump's dream is for war to be a business — to sell weapons to the EU."
Others made light of Trump's threat of tariffs, and senior lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev wrote: 'Oh, how much can change both on the battlefield and with the mood of those leading the U.S. and NATO in 50 days.'
During the meeting, Trump also announced "billions of dollars" worth of military equipment is set to be sent to Ukraine.
It marks a sharp turnaround from the US president's approach back in March, when he slashed aid to Ukraine just days after an ill-tempered meeting with Volodomyr Zelenksy in the White House.
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