VLADIMIR Putin has just hours left to convince Donald Trump he’s serious about ending the war in Ukraine – or face a punishing wave of US sanctions.
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.
AFPPutin has just hours left to convince Donald Trump Russia’s serious about ending the war in Ukraine – or face sanctions[/caption]
East2WestRussian drones targeted Kharkiv in a series of new attacks on Ukraine just hours before Trump’s deadline[/caption]
SplashTrump is ‘disappointed’ with Putin and insists he could end war in single day[/caption]
East2WestPutin’s drones also targeted the Ukrainian town of Bucha, injuring a 16-year-old girl[/caption]
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 India and China.
But as the clock ticks, Putin appears defiant.
Overnight, Russian drones hit homes, schools, and sports facilities across Ukraine in fresh airstrikes.
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.
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 Don said of Putin: “It’s going to be up to him.
“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.
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.
GettyPresident Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet as early as next week to discuss Ukraine[/caption]
AFPThere is uncertainty over the meeting as Zelensky could be put on the sidelines[/caption]
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.
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.
East2WestA destroyed building in flames after Putin’s forces targeted Sumy region[/caption]
East2WestA giant plume of smoke billows into the sky in the Ukrainian town of Bucha[/caption]
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.
“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.
Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed it struck a fuel depot near Russia’s Millerovo air base, potentially damaging infrastructure used by military aircraft.
Who has the upper hand?
by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
RIGHT now, everything hangs in the balance – and the power dynamic could shift in a heartbeat.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former British Army officer and military analyst, said the fact the summit is even happening is a win in itself.
But as for who’s calling the shots? That’s where things get complicated.
Noting the Russian leader still believes he’s making ground in Ukraine, the expert told The Sun: “Until fairly recently, it’s been pretty clear that President Putin has absolutely no desire for peace.
“His aim at the beginning of his special military operation over three and a half years ago was to subjugate the whole of Ukraine.”
According to de Bretton-Gordon, Trump has only recently woken up to the fact that he’s being played.
“It would appear that Trump has had a bit of an epiphany, a bit of a change of mind, and has now realised that Putin has been playing him.”
And now, Don is bringing the businessman in him and threatening to hit Russia where it hurts most: the wallet.
“If Trump follows through with his sanctions and tariffs… then this is the reason I think that Putin has come to the table,” de Bretton-Gordon explained.
“Economic and financial analysts who really know about these things believe that the Russian economy would peter out pretty quickly without the massive amounts of money and resources it gets from oil.”
In other words, Trump holds the economic sledgehammer — if he’s willing to swing it.
But Putin isn’t out of the game. His forces are still advancing, still hammering Ukrainian cities, and still killing civilians.
“Russia seems to be moving forward slowly,” de Bretton-Gordon warned.
“Attacking civilian targets in Ukraine at an unbelievable scale.”
Zelensky, meanwhile, remains the wild card.
“The people who are most important here are the Ukrainians,” he said.
“A bad deal for Ukraine is worse than no deal at all.”
And that’s the real risk. Trump might be chasing headlines, not justice.
“I think Trump probably just wants to get a deal of some description,” the former army officer said.
“One just hopes that Trump doesn’t try and do some sort of backhand deal with Putin, just so that he can claim that there is now peace in Ukraine, because the short-term peace is no good to anybody.”
So who has the upper hand? Right now, it’s still up for grabs.
But if Trump sticks to his economic guns, and if Putin starts to feel the heat on the home front, the balance might just tip.
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