WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated a significant escalation in his administration’s approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine, defending his 50-day deadline for a peace deal.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House, Trump said he had not directly communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin since setting his ultimatum. However, he noted that in previous conversations, Putin said “he wants peace. So far, it’s all talk and no action.”
On Monday, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump issued his “major announcement” on Russia, reflecting his growing frustration with Putin’s actions and a shift from the more conciliatory tone he adopted towards the Kremlin leader, particularly in the early months of his second term.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday night, Trump defended his fifty-day timeframe, stating, “I don’t think it’s a long time,” and quickly pivoted to criticize the previous administration: “Why did Biden get us into that ridiculous war? Why did Biden bring us there?
“That should never, ever have happened [in] that war. This is Biden’s war. I’m just trying to end it, because we’re saving a lot of lives,” Trump said.
Trump espoused a long-standing campaign promise to swiftly end Russia’s war against Ukraine in his first 24 hours in office, a promise he reiterated upon taking office in January 2025, without providing details of how he would achieve this or the outcome for the Ukrainian people.
When pressed on why Putin’s stance would change within 50 days after years of conflict, Trump reiterated his belief in rapid shifts in geopolitical landscapes: “Opinions change very rapidly. Might not be 50 days, might be much sooner than 50 days.”
This reflects a characteristic optimism in his ability to broker deals and change entrenched positions through pressure.
Regarding military aid to Ukraine, specifically Patriot missile systems, Trump said, “They’re already being shipped from... Germany and then replaced by Germany. And in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full.”
He said that Europe and NATO would fully reimburse the US for all expenditures, stating, “We’re always getting our money back in full. So we’re not going to have any more investments to make. We’re getting our money back in full.”
Trump also underscored the devastating human toll of the ongoing conflict, highlighting significant casualties.
“We’re saving five or 6,000 soldiers a week,” he said. “They’re Russian and they’re Ukrainian soldiers. They’re not American soldiers, and we won’t have boots on the ground, but it’s a shame. 5,000 last week, they say 7,100 soldiers, both Russian and Ukrainian, were killed.”
This highlights the significant human cost, which has reportedly been on the rise, with June seeing the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years.
Trump also confirmed discussing the situation with the First Lady, stating, “She’s very sparse. She’s very neutral. In a sense, she’s sort of like me. She’d like to see people stop dying.”
Addressing concerns about potential secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil impacting American consumers, Trump dismissed the notion, stating, “I don’t think so. I think that whole thing is going to go away eventually. It should have gone away.”
He reiterated that while Putin claims to want peace, he “hasn’t lived up to that.”.
Trump concluded with a firm warning: “But they’re very biting, they’re very significant, and they’re going to be very bad for the countries involved. I mean, they’ll be very, very powerful and very bad for the countries involved. And I hope we don’t have to pull that string, and maybe we’ll see. Got to end. Got to stop. Stop the killing.”