Ukrainians welcome US aid but see Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Putin as too long
Russia is making a summer push to break through along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, and its drones and missiles are hammering Ukrainian cities more than at any time in the past three years.
Ukrainian officials have made no direct comment about Mr Trump's decision to allow Russia 50 days to reach a deal to end the war or face what he said would be 'very severe' economic sanctions.
While some believe strict tariffs on Moscow could be a game changer, the postponement until September struck others as being too long.
For Russia, Mr Trump's delay of new sanctions is a reprieve.
Senior Russian politician Konstantin Kosachev said: 'Oh, how much can change both on the battlefield and with the mood of those leading the US and Nato in 50 days.'
Russian state television pointed out that Mr Trump's decision would bring a bigger financial burden for Europe.
Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukraine.
Ukraine's depleted army has recently been losing more territory, but there is no sign of a looming collapse on the front line, analysts say.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke to Mr Trump after the Republican leader's Oval Office announcement on Monday, expressing gratitude for the decision to send more Patriot air defence missiles that are vital to defend Ukrainian cities.
Mr Zelensky said on Telegram: 'We discussed … the necessary measures and decisions to provide greater protection for people from Russian attacks and strengthen our positions.
'We agreed to talk more often and co-ordinate our steps in the future.'
Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky have had a notoriously fraught relationship, and Washington's consent to providing more weaponry has eased Kyiv's worries.
Even so, some Ukrainians felt the US decision won't alter the course of the war.
'If we take the situation as a whole, it hardly looks like this will fundamentally change anything,' Kyiv resident Oles Oliinyk, 33, told The Associated Press.
Nina Tokar, 70, was also sceptical. 'I have very little faith in (Mr Trump). He says one thing today, and tomorrow he may say something else.'
A Ukrainian army officer fighting in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region said the 50-day delay on sanctions 'is a very long time'.
'They (the Russians) will say, 'Give us two more weeks,' and then in two weeks, 'Give us another week.' It will drag on until October or November,' he told AP, using only the call sign 'Cat' in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp agreed. 'I do believe that the 50 days that Mr Trump has announced is rather long. It's up to September 2. I think that's rather long.'
Much remains to be worked out about how the weapons, especially the Patriot systems, will be provided, Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in Brussels on Tuesday.
But, in an indication that Europe is relieved that the US hasn't walked away from the conflict, he added: 'The most important thing is that we now have an American readiness to deliver these most needed weapons.'
Some European countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, still rely heavily on Russia for energy supplies and could be hit hard by Mr Trump's threatened secondary sanctions on countries that buy its oil and gas — an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Mr Trump's 50-day delay was a 'signal for Europe to prepare ourselves, because we still have some member states that are exposed to imports of oil and oil products from Russia.'
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said it remains to be seen whether Mr Trump's announcement will be a turnaround but 'what is decisive is that the tone has changed'.
The president's threat to impose sanctions after 50 days is 'significant progress,' Mr Pistorius told ARD television.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
13 minutes ago
- Metro
Donald Trump baby balloon could take to the skies again when President visits UK
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Activists are plotting to relaunch the Donald Trump baby balloon when the President jets to the UK for his historic second official visit in September, Metro can reveal. The blimp, a giant, six-metre-long inflatable depicting Trump as a baby in a nappy grasping a mobile phone, became a symbol of protests against the controversial leader on his first state visit as President in July 2018. It was flown in the skies above Parliament as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. During the parade, it was flanked by a group of campaigners in red flying suits who were dubbed 'Trump babysitters'. The balloon later spawned copycat versions of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which were flown in 2018 and 2019, as well as counterfeit merchandise, including t-shirts and bobblehead figures. Leo Murray, who came up with the idea of the blimp to mock the President, has now revealed he is considering re-launching the inflatable or commissioning another for the visit later this year. Leo, from north London, told Metro: 'We will consider getting the blimp up again. It was very effective last time. The way it made fun of him worked. It certainly was eye-catching and gave everyone a smile. But the danger of Trump is worse than ever now. 'The original one is now in the Museum of London so we would have to speak to them. We crowdfunded the first one so maybe we could do that again and get a new one. It's too early to say but we will have plans. 'It's more vital than ever to protest. He should not be coming for a second visit the way Britain's sucking up to him is not what people here want to see, it's very poor. 'His first presidency was bad enough but in the end he didn't get to do much. This time round he is much more dangerous- we have to oppose this visit and make ourselves heard.' To create the blimp, Leo worked with designer Matt Bonner. It was then built by Leicestershire-based company, Imagine Inflatables. While the majority of people praised the inflatable, it faced some criticism, including from the President himself. Trump said at the time the blimp made him feel unwanted, adding: 'I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London. 'I used to love London as a city. I haven't been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?' Nigel Farage also described it at the time as 'the biggest insult to a sitting US President ever.' In response to the criticism, the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the balloon was recognised as a legitimate form of demonstration, which is why it was allowed to fly. It was later flown in Ireland during protests in 2019 but plans to launch it over Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland that year were halted after the authorities refused permission. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Museum of London has since bought the original blimp and has it on display in its protest collection. It described the blimp as an 'extraordinary and imaginative idea' and a 'response from Londoners'. The Museum's director, Sharon Ament, said the blimp was an example of the British love of satire. She said: 'We use humour a lot. And we poke fun at politicians. This is a big – literally – example of that.' Leo added: 'Last time the blimp was very effective and could be again. 'The world is a much more dangerous place because of Trump winning the presidency again. We need to make our voices heard.' In February, Trump was invited to visit the UK for a second unprecedented state visit by King Charles. More Trending Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday that Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, will be in the UK from 17 to 19 September and will be hosted at Windsor Castle. A full schedule for the visit is yet to be released. The House of Commons breaks up the day before so he will not be making an address to Parliament as is the usual protocol for a state visit. Trump said ahead of his visit: 'I think I want to have a good time and respect King Charles because he's a great gentleman.' He added that the UK was a 'great place'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Five key questions answered about the Trump administration's Epstein files chaos MORE: Kevin Spacey begs for release of Epstein files and insists he 'has nothing to fear' MORE: 'I shared a prison dorm with Ghislaine Maxwell – she isn't suicidal in the least'
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Donald Trump dismisses inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein as ‘boring'
Donald Trump has dismissed a secretive inquiry into the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as 'boring' and of interest only to 'bad people', but said he backed the release of any 'credible' files, as he sought to stamp out a conspiracy-fuelled uproar among his supporters. The US president is facing a political crisis within his usually loyal Republican 'Make America Great Again' (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein's crimes to protect the rich elite he associated with, which included Trump. One of the most dramatic theories circulating among supporters is that Epstein – who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody – was murdered by powerful figures to cover up their roles in his sex crimes against children. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Trump told reporters on Tuesday night when asked why his supporters are so interested in the case. 'It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going. 'I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going,' he added. 'But credible information, let them give it. Anything that is credible, I would say, let them have it.' During his election campaigns, Trump fuelled multiple conspiracies by his Maga movement, including that the country is controlled by shadowy 'deep state' elites. This has caused deep paranoia among his base, who are now, unusually, questioning their leader over the Epstein controversy. Last week, the justice department and the FBI announced that a review of the case files had confirmed that Epstein had killed himself, and there was no list of his clients to be made public. Conservative allies of the president have focused their anger on the attorney general, Pam Bondi, who was leading the case, as she had previously said Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review'. Several other high-profile conservatives have called for Trump to make public everything known about Epstein. Even his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, a Fox News host, has been critical, saying: 'I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this.' On Tuesday, Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, called for the Justice Department to make the document public, breaking with Trump in a rare moment of friction between the allies. 'It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,' Johnson told Benny Johnson, a rightwing podcaster, in an interview released on Tuesday. 'I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.'
Telegraph
14 minutes ago
- Telegraph
First EU-wide taxes to pay for Covid debt
The European Commission is attempting to introduce its first bloc-wide taxes on tobacco, e-cigarettes and large companies to repay a mountain of coronavirus debt. Electronic waste and carbon emissions could also be targeted in the drive to raise much-needed cash and pay off a €650 billion pandemic loan. The European Union's executive arm will present the proposal to member states on Wednesday as part of the unveiling of plans for the bloc's next budget between 2028 and 2034. Brussels raised €650 billion in joint debt to provide much-needed economic boosts to its pandemic-stricken economy. But when the deal was signed off by member states in 2021, there was no agreement over how the money should be repaid The EU is currently looking to set aside between €25 billion and €30 billion annually – equivalent to a fifth of its budget – to pay off the loan. Using Brussels-mandated taxes – known as 'own resources' – would be the first time the Commission has supplemented its budget with levies it controls. Eurocrats argue that the radical shift is needed to pay back the existing debt, but also to raise further cash to fund a continent-wide rearmament. The taxation on tobacco products could raise €15 billion annually for the Commission, De Telegraaf, the Dutch newspaper, has reported. Member states will be charged the tax based on the number of smokers in their country, meaning the likes of Greece, Germany and Bulgaria could be among the hardest hit by the levy. It would in effect enforce an increase on the minimum excise rates on cigarettes and cigars, hitting those capitals that enforce lower rates, like Luxembourg. Dozens of member states have been lobbying the Commission to include vapes, nicotine patches and heated tobacco in the scheme because of health concerns and cash already lost to illicit trade, estimated to be about €10 billion a year. A separate tax could be introduced on companies with a net turnover of €50 million a year that have a permanent base in the EU. The move could generate billions of euros to help pay off the Covid-era debt, but is seen as deeply unpopular and uncompetitive in member states. Other revenue streams looking to be opened up include targeting a charge for non-recycled electronic waste and a handling fee for long-distance e-commerce packages. The Commission is expected to unveil a proposal to increase that to €1.78 trillion, or 1.26 per cent of gross national income. The hikes will likely be resisted by countries that pay the most towards the budget, including France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. When the plan is presented to member states on Wednesday, it will fire the starting pistol on a two-year scrap between national capitals and EU institutions in Brussels over the bloc's future finances.
