In a dramatic escalation of pressure, US President Donald Trump on Monday told Russia it has just 50 days to negotiate an end to its war in Ukraine—or face devastating new economic sanctions.
“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100%,” Trump warned during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The plan includes imposing tough secondary tariffs on countries still trading with Russia—effectively aiming to choke off Moscow’s economic lifelines.
Trump, looking visibly frustrated, admitted he was “very, very unhappy” with President Vladimir Putin, marking a clear shift from his previous attempts at diplomatic outreach.
A Harder Line After Broken Promises
This isn’t how Trump imagined things would go. When he began his second term in January, he promised Americans he could end the war in 24 hours—even making overtures toward Putin in pursuit of a swift deal.
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But those efforts faltered. Trump said he believed they had reached a deal four times, only for Putin to renege. The final straw, he suggested, was a pointed comment from First Lady Melania Trump.
“I go home, I tell the First Lady, ‘you know, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation.’ And she said, ‘Oh really? Another city was just hit,'” Trump recounted, showing admiration for the personal moment that played a role in shifting his perspective.
Massive NATO Weapons Deal for Ukraine
In the same meeting, Trump and Rutte unveiled a plan to deliver “massive numbers” of weapons to Ukraine via NATO. Under this arrangement, NATO will buy arms—including Patriot anti-missile systems—from the US and quickly distribute them to the battlefield.
“This is billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment… going to NATO and quickly to the battlefield,” Trump said, aiming to silence critics who claimed he was abandoning Ukraine.
The move was welcomed cautiously in Europe. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it “very positive”, but warned that 50 days is “a very long time if they’re killing civilians every day.”
Ukrainians React: “Better Late Than Never”
On the ground in Ukraine, soldiers showed greetings for the promise of new weapons with a mix of relief and skepticism. A 29-year-old soldier in eastern Ukraine, who gave his call sign Grizzly, told reporters: “Better late than never.”
Meanwhile, fighting raged on. Russian forces are now claiming for new territorial gains in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, and deadly strikes in Kharkiv and Sumy killed at least three civilians.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested a sweeping political shake-up, naming economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko as his pick for prime minister—underscoring that Ukraine is entering what he called an “important time.”
A Pivotal 50 Days Ahead
Trump’s ultimatum now setting the clock ticking. Whether Putin responds or digs in remains to be seen. For ordinary Ukrainians, the hope is that this new pressure might finally bring relief after more than three years of war, devastation, and heartbreak.