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The Sun
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
‘Call the Ayatollah': Trump ally gives BRUTAL hint at what would happen to Putin if he ignores 50-day peace deadline
A SENATOR has given a brutal hint at what would happen if mad Vladimir Putin were to ignore the 50-day peace deadline - telling the tyrant to "call the Ayatollah". Russia has been stepping up its summer offensive campaign as Washington-mediated ceasefire talks stall - infuriating the US President, Senator Lindsey Graham revealed. 9 9 9 9 Explosions rocked Ukrainian cities overnight after Vlad launched waves of drones and missiles across the war-torn nation in the latest sign the tyrant is avoiding peace. And amidst the deadly chaos, Republican senator Graham made a chilling warning to mad Vlad that Russia would face the same fate as Iran if he doesn't adhere to Trump's 50-day ultimatum. He said on X: "If Putin and others are wondering what happens on day 51, I would suggest they call the Ayatollah. "If I were a country buying cheap Russian oil, propping up Putin's war machine, I would take President Trump at his word." The clearest sign yet that Trump is done playing diplomatic games with Putin came on Monday. He said had struck a deal with Nato to supply key American air defence systems and weapons to Ukraine. Trump vowed to send weapons compromising of "everything" in his arsenal in order to get Putin back into line after weeks of the tyrant incessantly bombing Ukraine. The US President also threatened Russia with blistering tariffs and sanctions if Putin doesn't agree to a peace deal within 50 days. Prior to the announcement, Senator Graham told Axios the US President was "really p****d at Putin" and revealed Trump's move would be "very aggressive". Don has since shared that the first Patriot systems intended for Ukraine "are already being shipped" to allies. Upon being asked which countries the missiles are coming from, Trump said they were arriving from Germany. He added that he hadn't spoken to Putin in two days, where he confirmed his intention to send weapons to help Ukraine - including the deadly Patriot systems. 9 9 9 9 Another of the proposed weapons which could be included in the package deal is America's joint air-to-surface standoff cruise missiles (JASSM). On Tuesday, however, he ruled out sending long-range missiles to Ukraine despite reports claiming the US would give Kyiv weapons that could strike as far as Moscow. Upon being asked whether the US would deliver deep-strike munitions to the war-torn nation, he clarified: "No, we're not looking to do that." He also warned Ukraine against attacking the Russian capital, adding: "I'm on nobody's side. You know whose side I'm on? Humanity's side." The President has spent the first seven months of his White House return urging both sides to come to the negotiating table. But a snarling Putin has always declined and instead ramped up his ground and aerial offensives across Ukraine. And the Kremlin's reaction to Trump's latest posture proves he may be set to snub the 50-day deadline. They are said to have mocked the warning, with sources revealing they may now demand even more Ukrainian territory instead of laying down arms. Russia will instead keep terrorising Ukrainian civilians during the seven-week period instead of surrendering in any form, they added. A bombshell report claimed that Trump asked Zelensky if he can "make them [Russia] feel the pain" when the pair held a phone call at the start of the month. 'Really p****d' Trump gives Putin 50-day ultimatum as he unveils major plan The US President asked: "Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit St Petersburg too?", according to the Financial Times, citing two sources. Zelensky responded: "Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons." But Trump soon pushed back on the reports of him enquiring about Ukraine's next targets. He told reporters that he has actually warned Zelensky to not even think about attacking Moscow if he ever wants the conflict to end. Trump did not directly mention the FT report but the White House did. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued Trump's words were taken out of context as the President "was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing". She continued, in a statement to the BBC: "He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war." It comes after the US President shared with the broadcaster he was 'disappointed but not done with' mad Vlad. Asked if he trusted Putin, Trump said after a long pause: 'I trust almost nobody to be honest with you.' Overnight, Ukraine's Air Force made numerous alerts that Russian drones were targeting Kyiv alongside other regions - with a warning even issued of the threat of ballistic missile strikes. Eight people were wounded in strikes on Ukraine's central region of Vinnytsia, as large-scale fires erupted after civilian industrial facilities were hit. Three people were also wounded in an attack on Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv. And a 17-year-old boy has been left fighting for his life after missile and drone strikes destroyed an industrial building in south-central Kryvyi Rig - the birthplace of brave leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Oleksandr Vilkul, the mayor of the city, wrote on Telegram: "This has never happened before. "A ballistic missile and 28 Shaheds simultaneously." Meanwhile three people were tragically killed in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, local authorities say. What have experts said of Trump's sending long-range weapons to Ukraine? By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter DONALD Trump sending long-range weapons to Ukraine could be a game-changer for the war by helping halt Vladimir Putin's nightly blitzes, experts said. Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a decorated British Army commander, said the shipment of these long-range missiles would have profound "psychological and physical effects" on Ukraine. Mr de Bretton-Gordon told The Sun: "These weapons can strike Moscow - over 400 miles from the border. That allows the Ukrainians to strike drone factory production and ammunition sites, and others. "So this will have both psychological as well as physical effects. "People in Moscow will realise that they potentially could be targeted. "And when you also add to it the American bombings on Iranian sites that were supposed to be impregnable, it shows that American missile and drone technology rather superior to the Russian air defence system." The former army chief said these weapons will put real pressure on Russia, adding: "The metric has now changed and Trump's decision could make a huge difference." Ex-military intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram told The Sun how these long-range weapons could help strike Russian missile and drone launchpads - the ones that are used to launch nightly attacks on Ukraine. He said: "The Ukrainians are already attacking to hit Russian military logistics, defence industry bases. "And with these sophisticated weapons, they will have increased capability of doing so. "It will impact the ability of the Russians to prosecute these increasingly large drone and rocket attacks on a nightly basis. "And then that's the best way for the Ukrainians to stop it."
CNN
13 hours ago
- Business
- CNN
Analysis: Russia hawks face new dilemma over Trump's 50-day Putin deadline
The Russia hawks' initial reaction to President Donald Trump's tougher stance on Vladimir Putin was positive. That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump's threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn't cut a peace deal in next 50 days 'a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.' But a day later, a real sense of skepticism about Trump's threats has crept in. The Russians have basically shrugged it off and even treated it as a green light to take what they can in the next several weeks. Ukrainians and foreign leaders have expressed fears about what happens over the next 50 days. And even some Trump allies in Congress and elsewhere are wondering: Why the delay? Why not pass the sanctions legislation that more than 80 senators already support today? Trump by Tuesday afternoon rejected criticisms of that timetable. 'Oh, I don't think 50 days is very long, and it could be sooner than that,' he said. 'I don't think 50 days is very long. ' The president has often pushed off major decisions and announcements by giving himself a future deadline that he might or might not abide by (often 'two weeks'). He did recently strike Iran right after a 60-day window he had given it to cut a nuclear deal that never arrived. But there seems to be a growing fear that this is just more kicking the can down the road or a pointless intermission. Perhaps most striking Tuesday were the comments of a pair of Republican senators. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida praised Trump for his desire to bring Putin to the table. But he said the Russian leader is 'not going to change.' 'I don't know why he gave him that many days. From my standpoint, I think Trump's being very generous,' Scott told CNN's Manu Raju. 'I would love there to be sanctions now. I'd love there to be tariffs now.' Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said the 50-day timetable 'worries' him. Tillis said Putin could use the time to ramp up efforts to win the war quickly or try to gain power 'after having murdered and potentially collected more ground as a basis for negotiation.' As CNN's Matthew Chance noted, officials in Moscow were breathing a sigh of relief about an announcement that could have been much worse for them – and may now view it as license to do what they can over the next 50 days. While Russia has called Trump's threats and the weapons he said he's funneling to Ukraine 'very serious,' Russian officials like Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev – a key Putin ally – also publicly downplayed the 50-day timeline. 'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin,' Medvedev posted on X. 'The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care.' The markets in Russia also appear to have shrugged. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Moscow's stock index jumped up 2.5 points on Tuesday, potentially because secondary sanctions appear more distant now – if they ever arrive. Fears that Trump is giving Russia too long a leash were also prominent in Europe. Officials including European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas praised the tougher stance but cast the timeframe as a very long one. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has often allied with Trump, praised him for 'turning up the heat on Putin.' 'But why wait? Putin is butchering innocent people every day. Let's get this thing over,' Johnson posted on X, adding: 'Let's sanction the Putin enablers now.' The dilemma for Russia hawks is readily apparent. On the one hand, Trump is saying tougher things about Putin than he ever has before, and they want to give him credit for that – however belated they might think that pivot is. But given Trump's unpredictability and the fact that he's treated Putin with kid gloves plenty before, they might also view this as a smokescreen and not tough enough. So now that Trump appears to have soured on his Russian counterpart, they might want to gently push him toward more urgent action. What seems clear is that the concerns about the 50-day deadline have registered. Trump grew testy Tuesday when pressed on the matter. 'You should've asked that same question to Biden,' Trump said, repeating one of his frequent refrains that it's really his predecessor who is responsible for Putin's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor. 'Why did he get us into this war? You should ask that question.' Graham also seemed to respond to critics of the 50-day timeline, saying Trump very recently demonstrated how serious such deadlines can be – on Iran. 'If Putin and others are wondering what happens on day 51, I would suggest they call the Ayatollah,' Graham posted on X. 'If I were a country buying cheap Russian oil, propping up Putin's war machine, I would take President Trump at his word.' The comparison isn't perfect. Trump didn't threaten to bomb Moscow. And the option to get tougher on Russia is a lot easier for Trump to make; it basically just involves telling Congress to pass a bill it appears poised to pass whenever called upon. We'll see if Trump feels compelled to get tougher, quicker.
Forbes
18 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
U.S. Senate Weighs Sanctions Bill As Russia Stalls Peace Talks
US Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal speak on Mykhailivska Square during a press ... More conference in Kyiv on May 30, 2025, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP) (Photo by TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images) South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal met with European and Ukrainian officials last week to discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. During the session, the two senators briefed their counterparts on their new joint bill, which, if passed, would impose stiff new sanctions on the Russian Federation. For five months, the United States has attempted to broker a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. But Russian leaders have continued to launch missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, which retaliates in kind on strategic targets. As such, in an interview with CBS' 'Face the Nation' on July 13, Graham and Blumenthal stated that the new sanctions bill on Russia would impose a '500% tariff on imports from countries that purchase Russian uranium, gas, and oil,' as well as other products. Currently, several countries in South America, Africa, and Asia continue to conduct business with Russia. But if the new bill is passed, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 would put pressure on countries that continue to conduct business with Russia. It would force them to rethink their trade relations with the Russian Federation. By extension, fewer finances would mean less purchasing power for Russia to finance its ongoing war in Ukraine. The proposed legislation currently has 84 cosponsors, indicating it has strong bipartisan support. Several Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Mike Johnson, also welcomed the motion. 'There's a tremendous amount of bipartisan support [for this bill] here in the Senate,' said Senate Majority Leader John Thune in an interview reported by The Hill. 'I hope that we can get it on the floor before the August recess.' It appears that the White House is also in support of the sanctions proposal. During an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on July 14, President Donald Trump stated that he was 'very, very unhappy with Russia,' but that the U.S. would impose new financial penalties on the Russian Federation if a ceasefire agreement is not reached within 50 days. How the sanctions bill will proceed, however, is unclear. Throughout the attempted negotiation process since February 2025, the United States has threatened a series of ultimatums if Russia did not reach a ceasefire. American officials gave the Russian Federation several two-week deadlines to achieve peace with Ukraine. But as the proposals were introduced throughout the spring, the attempts at peace were largely ignored. For example, in March, the United States met with Ukrainian and Russian officials to discuss a 30-day ceasefire on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, and U.S. News and World Report then published reports stating that Russia had violated the energy infrastructure ceasefire at least 30 times. Then, in April, the Russian Federation proposed a three-day ceasefire during the Easter and Passover holidays. The temporary truce was violated shortly afterward when the Russians launched drone and missile strikes throughout Ukraine. Despite violating the peace attempts in March and April, the United States did not respond to its ultimatums issued to Russia. Instead, the U.S. offered a new set of ultimatums as it hoped to broker a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. It is therefore unclear whether the sanctions bill will be introduced if Russia fails to uphold a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine within the next 50 days. Nonetheless, Republicans and Democrats have both stated that they are ready to continue supporting Ukraine during Russia's ongoing invasion. Many senators are also anxiously awaiting the introduction of the new sanctions bill. In their view, stiffer penalties will be the only way to force Russia to end its war. In short, current developments suggest that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the Senate will proceed with its new sanctions bill to force Russia to stop its war in Ukraine.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
'Game changer': Bipartisan senators gunning for Russia sanctions ready to give Trump runway
A bipartisan duo bent on imposing strict sanctions against Russia are giving President Donald Trump some runway after his latest, hardened stance against Moscow. Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have pressed for stringent sanctions against Russia and its energy trade partners, and they have been working to refine their bill to meet requirements from the White House that give Trump more flexibility. The bill had been sidelined by congressional Republicans' push to pass the president's "big, beautiful bill" and had been eyed for a vote possibly by the end of the month. But Trump's announcement that he would levy 100% tariffs against Moscow unless Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to end the war with Ukraine has likely again stalled that plan, and the bipartisan pair isn't mad about it. "It sounds like right now the president is going to attempt to do some of this on his own," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. "If at some point the president concludes that it makes sense and adds value and leverage that he needs in those negotiations to move the bill, then we'll do it. We'll be ready to go." The president's warning came after he agreed to sell weapons to NATO, which, in turn, would be sent to Ukraine to resupply their dwindling stocks. "We're pleased that the president sort of buys into that way of doing business. We'll continue to work with the White House to see if we can provide him a tool that Congress has been working on," Graham said. Their bill would slap up to 500% tariffs on countries buying energy products from Moscow in a bid to kneecap Russia's war machine by imposing duties on oil, gas, uranium and other exports, largely purchased by China and India, which account for nearly three-quarters of Moscow's energy business. But that doesn't mean that work on the bill has ceased. Graham noted that having Congress' blessing "is good for the president" and could help him legally and politically. "But between the weapons flowing and sanctions through tariffs on the table, I think we can say today was a game changer that we've been waiting on and hoping for, and on day 51 you want to know what happens," Graham said. "Call the Ayatollah." Blumenthal lauded Trump's shift and gave him credit "for seeing through the mocking and flouting by Vladimir Putin." He argued that the bill, which has dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate and backing by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had already made an impact and noted that Trump's move was like a "hammer." "Our bill is a sledgehammer," Blumenthal said.
New York Times
19 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
Trump Official Accused PEPFAR of Funding Abortions in Russia. It Wasn't True.
It was a startling, almost unbelievable, allegation. It turned out to be untrue. On June 25, Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told a Senate committee that the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, had spent $9.3 million 'to advise Russian doctors on how to perform abortions and gender analysis.' His statements had immediate consequences for the committee's vote and had the potential to create long-term damage to PEPFAR, a program that has long had bipartisan support and has been estimated to have saved 26 million lives since President George W. Bush started it in 2003. Mr. Vought was at the Senate Appropriations Committee to defend a package of cuts proposed by the Trump administration to this year's spending on global health programs and public broadcasting. If the Senate votes to approve the package, global health programs will lose $900 million, including $400 million from PEPFAR for the current fiscal year. PEPFAR and other programs also face huge cuts, even terminations, for the coming fiscal year. The full Senate is expected to vote on the 'rescissions bill' by Thursday. At the hearing, Mr. Vought listed funding of abortions in Russia as evidence of PEPFAR's waste of government funds. The example prompted Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a longtime supporter of PEPFAR, to say he would vote in favor of rescinding funds from the program. 'You know why I'm going to vote for it? Just as a statement that PEPFAR is important, but it's not beyond scrutiny,' Mr. Graham said. 'There is a consequence to this crap.' PEPFAR has not operated in Russia since 2012, when President Vladimir Putin kicked the United States Agency for International Development out of the country. U.S. law prohibits the use of any federal funds to pay for abortions. Funding abortions through PEPFAR would imply not just waste, but serious crimes or negligence, or both. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
