Deadline day for Putin as he faces ‘very disappointed' Trump's wrath over Ukraine war ahead of face-to-face showdown
With bombs falling and nerves fraying, the world waits to see if Trump's ultimatum will bring peace – or escalate a war now heading into its fourth year.
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Putin has just hours left to convince Donald Trump Russia's serious about ending the war in Ukraine – or face sanctions
Credit: AFP
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Russian drones targeted Kharkiv in a series of new attacks on Ukraine just hours before Trump's deadline
Credit: East2West
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Trump is 'disappointed' with Putin and insists he could end war in single day
Credit: Splash
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Putin's drones also targeted the Ukrainian town of Bucha, injuring a 16-year-old girl
Credit: East2West
The White House's Friday deadline demands "progress" from Moscow towards reaching peace after three years of conflict.
Otherwise, Washington will slam down secondary sanctions targeting Russia's oil lifeline and key alleys like Russia and China.
But as the clock ticks, Putin appears defiant.
Overnight, Russian drones hit homes, schools, and sports facilities across Ukraine in fresh airstrikes.
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Ukrainian civilians were wounded in the assault, including a 16-year-old girl in Bucha.
The town's mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said: "We have destruction as a result of a Russian terrorist attack on our community.
"Russia is a terrorist country. The whole world should know about this… so that no one would shake hands with Russia knowing about the murders and atrocities against Ukrainians."
Unless Putin shifts course today, US officials say secondary sanctions will be activated, targeting foreign firms and governments – including India – still trading with Moscow.
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Already, India has suspended orders for Russian oil, a move that could cost the Kremlin billions.
Meanwhile, Trump's patience is wearing thin ahead of next week's historic meeting.
Speaking last night, a visibly frustrated Trump said of Putin: "It's going to be up to him.
Everything you need to know about a Trump, Putin, Zelensky showdown summit – and who has the upper hand
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"We're going to see what he has to say. Very disappointed."
Trump has made ending the war a top foreign policy priority since returning to office, boasting that he could stop it in a single day.
But despite backchannel phone calls and "typically friendly" exchanges with Putin, peace remains elusive.
"They would like to meet with me. I'll do whatever I can to stop the killings," Trump said.
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The Republican strongman previously posted on Truth Social: "These two Nations have been at War for many years… Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to 'TRUMP'."
The US president dismissed claims that next week's historic summit hinges on a three-way meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked if Putin needed to meet Zelensky in order to meet him, Trump clarified: "No, he doesn't."
That's a reversal from earlier statements by US officials, who had hinted that any Trump-Putin summit would only happen if the Russian leader also sat down with Zelensky, the Daily Mail reports.
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Uncertainty over showdown
Putin has said he's ready to meet Trump "next week", possibly in the United Arab Emirates, calling the summit a "mutual" goal.
But he signalled reluctance on meeting Zelensky directly, saying: "I have nothing against it in general… But certain conditions must be created for this.
"But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions."
Despite that, the White House is preparing for the possible bilateral or trilateral summit.
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Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed: "The White House is working through the details of these potential meetings… details will be provided at the appropriate time."
Zelensky, meanwhile, has been working the phones with European leaders, wary of being sidelined in a direct US-Russia deal.
Russia strikes as deadline hits
Putin's forces chose the eve of the deadline to unleash fresh horror. In Bucha, seven private homes and a nursery school were hit.
Other strikes landed in Irpin, Hostomel, Shostka and Kharkiv – many targeting civilian areas.
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"All people are alive," Bucha's mayor confirmed, attributing the lack of casualties to residents hiding in makeshift bomb shelters.
In Saltivskyi, Kharkiv, a drone strike injured two elderly civilians.
In Nikopol, three houses were hit.
And in Dnipropetrovsk, ballistic missile alerts blared over breakfast.
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Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed it struck a fuel depot near Russia's Millerovo air base, potentially damaging infrastructure used by military aircraft.
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