Monday, July 14. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,237.
Trump Unveils New Aid for Ukraine and Issues Ultimatum to Moscow
On July 14 U.S. President Donald Trump announced a significant shift in U.S. policy toward ending the war in Ukraine, unveiling a new plan to boost military support for Kyiv while increasing pressure on Moscow. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said the U.S. will provide Ukraine with as many as 17 Patriot missile defense systems.
'We're going to have some come very soon, within days,' Trump told reporters. Some of the systems will be transferred from European NATO allies' stockpiles, with the allies ordering replacements from the U.S. The new aid is valued at billions of dollars.
The more aggressive posture comes with a clear warning to Moscow. Trump gave the Kremlin a 50-day deadline to reach a peace agreement with Kyiv. Otherwise, the U.S. will impose what President Trump called 'very severe' tariffs. 'If we don't have a deal in 50 days, it's very simple, and they'll be at 100%.' A White House official later clarified that these tariffs would target Russian goods, as well as extend to countries that continue purchasing Russian exports, including oil.
Donald Trump's decision appears to be driven by growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,' Trump said, even as he denied being taken in by Putin and attempted to cast his predecessors as having done so: 'He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden — he didn't fool me.'
President Trump's decision, nonetheless, may not represent as abrupt a shift against the Kremlin as it might initially appear, thanks to the grace period Russia received to devise a resolution to the conflict before the measures take effect. The 50-day grace period was met with cautious relief by investors in Russia, where the ruble rebounded from earlier losses against the dollar and the stock market posted modest gains of 2.7%.
Reacting to Trump's new pledges of military aid for Ukraine, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, welcomed his firmer tone toward Russia, but not the 50-day grace period. 'It is very positive that President Trump is taking on a strong stance on Russia,' she said. 'On the other hand, 50 days is a very long time if we see that they [Russia]Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in his country's capital, Kyiv, with Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy said they had 'a productive conversation' about strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, joint arms production, purchasing U.S. weapons in conjunction with European allies, and the possibility of tightening international sanctions on Russia. 'We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its unwarranted ambitions are stopped by force,' Zelenskyy wrote in his post on Telegram following the meeting.
Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Russian forces rained 597 drones down on Ukraine, along with 26 cruise missiles, overnight into July 12, marking the second largest aerial attack of the war. Ukraine's Air Force reported intercepting 319 drones and 25 missiles, as well as electronically jamming 258 drones. The barrage was directed at western Ukraine, with impacts recorded at five locations. Officials in Chernivtsi, previously considered one of Ukraine's safest cities, reported two residents killed, its first wartime casualties. In Lviv, a city widely regarded as the nation's cultural capital, at least 12 people were injured amid damage to the city's historic center. In total, the Kremlin fired more than 1,800 drones, 1,200 glide bombs, and 83 missiles at its neighbor last week.
In addition to the massive overnight assault on July 12, Russian daytime attacks between July 10-13 killed at least 29 civilians across Ukraine. In the blood soaked eastern province of Donetsk, sustained Russian shelling killed at least 14 non-combatants and injured 26 others. In northeastern Kharkiv oblast, or province, four residents were killed, with 21 others wounded; in southern Kherson region, Russian drone strikes left four civilians dead and 32 others injured, while in southeastern Zaporizhzhia oblast, Russian attacks killed at least two residents and injured three others. In northern Sumy oblast, where Russia has renewed its on-the-ground offensive, five residents were reported dead and 19 others suffered injuries.
June marked the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians in the war's more than three-year history. According to a recent report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 232 were civilians killed and 1,343 injured in June, nearly three times the losses a year earlier. The UN attributed the spike to a tenfold increase in Russian long-range missile and loitering munition attacks, which use drones that can hover over an area to allow precision targeting. These weapons were in use across at least 16 regions, including Kyiv. Civilian casualties across Ukraine in the first half of 2025 surged to 6,754, a 54% year-over-year increase, where civilian deaths and injuries from Russian strikes rose by 17% and 64%, respectively.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a government reshuffle and proposed First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as the next Prime Minister of Ukraine on July 14. After the resignation of the current Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, Ukrainian lawmakers have 30 days to vote on the next Prime Minister.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
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