Trump believes Russia will win
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose secondary US tariffs of up to 100% on Russia's trading partners unless progress toward a peace agreement is made within 50 days. He also authorized new weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which are to be paid for by European NATO members. Moscow has warned that Trump's declaration could be seen by Kiev as a signal to continue the war.
According to Politico, Trump decided to up the pressure on Moscow out of frustration with continued Russian strikes on Ukraine. The source noted that the US president believes that Moscow can secure military victory against Kiev thanks to its 'bigger economy' and 'bigger military.'
'The president's view is Russia is going to win; it's a matter of how long it takes,' the White House official told the outlet, noting Moscow's progress on the battlefield.
In recent months, Russian forces have continued to gain ground, fully liberating the Lugansk People's Republic, as well as the Kursk Region, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces last year.
Russia has rejected Trump's latest ultimatum, while condemning attempts to pressure it. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov asserted that this approach is 'unacceptable' and demanded that Washington and NATO respect Russia's interests and concerns.
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it is open to conducting negotiations based on mutual respect with the aim of settling the Ukraine conflict diplomatically. However, Russian officials have also said they see no genuine effort on the part of Kiev or the West to pursue peace and repeatedly slammed calls by Western officials to inflict 'strategic defeat' on Russia.
Russia has emphasized that it remains determined to achieve the goals of its military operation in Ukraine and, while it would prefer to do so through diplomacy, it is prepared to use military means if necessary.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Assaults against US immigration officials surge by 830%
US federal immigration officials have faced a 'massive surge in attacks' since President Donald Trump's inauguration, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, blaming the situation on 'hysterical rhetoric' from 'gutter politicians.' Between January 21 and July 14, federal agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) experienced an 830% increase in assaults compared to the same period last year, the DHS said on Tuesday. 'ICE law enforcement are succeeding in removing terrorists, murderers, pedophiles, and the most depraved among us from America's communities, even as crazed rhetoric from gutter politicians is inspiring a massive increase in assaults against them,' DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. The agency cited several incidents, including a violent altercation involving federal agents during Representative LaMonica McIver's (D-NJ) congressional oversight visit to the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey in May. The representative, who pleaded not guilty, has been indicted on federal assault charges.'Just this week, Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA) showed a violent mob an ICE employee's business card, putting a target on his back and prompting the mob to attack him. The official was struck by a rock and sent to the emergency room, where he received multiple stitches,' the DHS said. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem echoed the message, urging 'politicians across the country, regardless of political stripe,' to condemn the attacks. She specifically singled out Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. Anti-ICE protests in the Golden State devolved into widespread rioting in early June, prompting President Trump to deploy the National Guard. Newsom accused Washington of staging a 'federal takeover.' The standoff sparked further protests in cities including New York, Chicago, and Dallas.
Russia Today
5 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump's ultimatum isn't an ultimatum – and Moscow knows it
US President Donald Trump has finally issued his much-anticipated 'important statement' on Russia. For days, speculation swirled, particularly among pro-Ukrainian circles, that the long-awaited U-turn was coming. Trump, they hoped, would finally get tough – perhaps inspired by the increasingly hawkish rhetoric of Senator Lindsey Graham (who, incidentally, is designated a terrorist and extremist in Russia). Even sceptics began to believe that Trump was gearing up to show Moscow 'Kuzka's mother,' a famous idiomatic expression of aggression used by Nikita Khrushchev during the Cold War But in classic Trump fashion, expectations were dashed. The supposedly 'extremely tough ultimatum' turned out to be something else entirely. Trump threatened tariff sanctions against Russia and its trading partners – but scrapped Graham's extreme proposal of 500% duties. Instead, he floated the idea of 100% tariffs that would only take effect after 50 days, if he chooses to enforce them, and if Russia fails to strike a deal. Trump also announced new arms deliveries to Ukraine. But these aren't gifts – they'll be sold, not given, and passed through European intermediaries. Supposedly, Ukraine will receive 17 Patriot systems. Yet we soon learned the first of these deliveries won't arrive for at least two months – again, 50 days. And even now, basic questions remain unanswered. What exactly did Trump mean by '17 Patriots'? Seventeen batteries? Launchers? Missiles? If he meant 17 batteries, that's simply not plausible. The US itself only operates around 30 active batteries. Germany and Israel combined don't have anywhere near that many available systems. Such a figure would significantly boost Ukraine's air defences – but it's almost certainly exaggerated. Seventeen missiles? That would be laughable – but not unthinkable. Washington recently sent just 10 Patriot missiles in a 'military aid' package so modest it wouldn't suffice for a single battle. Seventeen launchers? That seems more realistic. A typical battery consists of six to eight launchers, so this would amount to two or three batteries – more than what Germany and Norway have promised to purchase for Ukraine. Yet even the Pentagon can't confirm the details. And one suspects Trump himself may be fuzzy on the specifics. His role, after all, is to make the pronouncements; others are left to clean up the mess. The so-called '14 July ultimatum' has already become a textbook example of Trump's diplomatic approach. In fact, a new phrase has emerged in American political slang: 'Trump Always Chickens Out' or TACO. The acronym speaks for itself. It refers to the president's habit in trade and security talks of making grandiose threats, only to backtrack or delay implementation. This appears to be another case in point. The negotiations are at an impasse. Trump still craves a Nobel Peace Prize. And he's reluctant to become too entangled in the Ukrainian conflict. So he's reached for the oldest trick in his playbook: the non-ultimatum ultimatum. This allows him to sound tough while giving Moscow space – and perhaps even time – to act. It also offers cover with his MAGA base, many of whom are frustrated by distractions like Iran or the Epstein scandal and aren't eager to see America dragged further into Ukraine. The genius of it, from Trump's perspective, is that it promises everything and nothing at once. No clear strategy. No detailed demands. Just an open-ended threat backed by ambiguous timelines. It's pressure without posture. Leverage without leadership. What's striking is that the White House didn't even ask Russia to de-escalate. There were no appeals to halt the almost daily strikes on Ukraine or curb battlefield activity. In effect, Russia has been handed a 50-day window – intentionally or not – to do as it sees fit. A quiet concession to the Kremlin? Perhaps. A careless side effect? Possibly. Either way, Moscow gains. America, too, comes out ahead – at least financially. Under the new arrangement, Western Europe picks up the tab for Ukraine's defence, while US companies get paid to offload ageing equipment. Trump's famed 'art of the deal' may amount to little more than selling junk with a smile. But if so, he's done it masterfully. Still, as a political manoeuvre, the outcome is more uncertain. Trump may believe he's found the sweet spot between hawks and doves, between NATO allies and nationalist critics. But trying to be all things to all people rarely ends well. Appeasement disguised as firmness satisfies no one for long. And while Trump plays for time, Russia holds the initiative. That's the real story article was first published by the online newspaper and was translated and edited by the RT team
Russia Today
5 hours ago
- Russia Today
Draft officers brutalizing recruits in Ukraine (VIDEOS)
Multiple new disturbing videos purporting to show extremely violent actions by Ukrainian draft officers surfaced online this week. The increasingly chaotic mobilization drive, overseen by the so-called Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR), has been marred by widespread violence and abuse, with recruitment officials seen chasing recruits in the streets, brawling with them and onlookers alike, and even threatening civilians with military-grade weaponry. One of the videos, reportedly shot in the southwestern city of Nikolayev, purports to show draft officers trying to pack a potential recruit into an unmarked vehicle. The officers are seen violently beating their victim and repeatedly smashing him with the car's door. Another video, reportedly taken in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, shows a group of officers trying to pack a draftee into their bus. The man appears to be heavily beaten, with his clothes torn and stained with dirt. A fresh video from the city of Dnepr (also known as Dnepropetrovsk) shows a mass brawl between a group of teenagers and several men believed to be draft officers. The plainclothes TCR officials were confronted by onlookers as they attempted to pack a man into their unmarked vehicle, with the altercation promptly devolving into a fisticuffs. The civilians ultimately managed to overpower the officers and free the detainee. Ukrainian mobilization, launched early in the conflict with Russia, has grown increasingly chaotic and violent over the years. The effort has received the moniker 'busification', which describes the process of violently packing recruits into the unmarked minibuses commonly used by TCR officials. Kiev has long denied widespread violence and abuse related to the draft process, routinely dismissing it as 'Russian propaganda.' This April, however, the country's military admitted that its recruitment process has been marred by certain shortcomings. 'Busification is a shameful phenomenon, and we're doing our best to avoid it,' deputy head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Lt. Gen. Ivan Gavrilyuk said.
