A FRUSTRATED Donald Trump has issued Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline for a ceasefire – warning of a different response if Putin is “tapping us along”.
The US president’s ultimatum comes as Russia launches its deadliest strikes yet on Ukraine, with Kyiv fearing Moscow is massing troops for a major new offensive.
SplashDonald Trump has given Putin a two-week ceasefire deadline[/caption]
ReutersA Ukrainian firefighter at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on the Sumy region[/caption]
Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday: “I’m very disappointed at what happened a couple of nights now where people were killed in the middle of what you would call a negotiation.”
He added: “When I see rockets being shot into cities, that’s no good. We’re not going to allow it.”
When asked if Putin really wants to end the war, Trump replied: “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks.
“Within two weeks. We’re gonna find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not.
“And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently.”
The US president’s comments came just minutes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed a second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
He said the proposed talks on June 2 would be a continuation of negotiations.
Kyiv has said it’s “not opposed” to meetings.
The White House has ramped up its efforts to push for a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump and Putin recently had a two-hour phone call, after which Putin said he was ready to work with Ukraine on a “memorandum on a possible future peace agreement”.
The White House has been accused of appeasing Moscow – most notably when Trump shifted the focus from the 30-day ceasefire mentioned in the call (agreed on only by Ukraine) and later opted for a summit with Putin.
But the US has rejected these claims, pointing out that all sanctions against Russia remain firmly in force.
The Kremlin has not yet sent a memorandum, claiming it’s currently drafting its version and that there cannot be a fixed deadline for ceasefire details to be agreed.
Meanwhile, over the past few days, the US president has lashed out at his Russian counterpart on social media.
He said on Tuesday that Putin has gone “absolutely crazy” and is “playing with fire” after Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine.
Trump added that “lots of bad things” would have happened to Russia if it were not for his involvement.
He broke his silence on Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities in the largest aerial attack of the war now in its fourth year.
Russian strikes in Kyiv killed at least 13 people, including three children, and injured dozens more.
Putin has been building up a 50,000-strong force alongside the border of Kharkiv, for an offensive in the eastern region of Sumy, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Putin’s forces had snatched another four villages in Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote in a post: “The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called buffer zone”.
Hryhorov said the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka had been overrun and the resident evacuated.
In response, Ukraine launched a wave of brutal drone strikes on the Russian capital.
Zelensky has accused Moscow of delaying the peace process and claimed Ukrainian intelligence shows Putin has no intention of ending the war.
According to top Russian officials, Putin wants a “written” pledge from Western leaders to stop Nato’s expansion to countries eastward, it was revealed to Reuters.
The eastward expansion refers to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
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