By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he intends to shorten the 50-day deadline he gave Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a deal that ends the three-year war in Ukraine, after Russia continued to bombard Ukrainian cities.
Russia fired an overnight barrage of more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said.
Trump said two weeks ago he would implement “severe tariffs” on Russia unless a peace deal is reached by early September, as he expressed exasperation with Putin over the bombardment of Ukrainian cities amid the Republican president’s attempts to stop the fighting.
Trump said he would now give Putin 10 to 12 days from Monday, meaning he wants peace efforts to make progress by Aug. 7-9. The plan includes possible sanctions and secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s trading partners. The formal announcement would come later Monday or on Tuesday, he said.
“No reason in waiting,” Trump said of the shorter timeline. “We just don’t see any progress being made.”
Putin has “got to make a deal. Too many people are dying,” Trump said during a visit to Scotland.
There was no immediate response from Russia.
Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war but continuing to bombard Ukrainian civilians.
“And I say, that’s not the way to do it,” Trump said. He added, “I’m disappointed in President Putin.”
Asked at a news conference about a potential meeting with the Russian leader, Trump said: “I’m not so interested in talking anymore.”
Still, he voiced some reluctance about imposing penalties on the Kremlin, saying that he loves the Russian people. “I don’t want to do that to Russia,” he said, but he noted how many Russians, along with Ukrainians, are dying in the war.
Ukraine has urged Western countries to take a tougher line with Putin. Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, thanked Trump for shortening the deadline.
“Putin understands only strength — and that has been conveyed clearly and loudly,” Yermak said on Telegram, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared the sentiment.
Latest attacks in Ukraine
A Russian drone blew out the windows of a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram. Eight people were injured, including a 4-year-old girl, he said.
The attack also started a fire in Kropyvnytskyi, in central Ukraine, local officials said, but no injuries were reported.
The main target of the Russian attack was Starokostiantyniv, in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, the air force said. Regional authorities reported no damage or casualties.
Western Ukraine is on the other side of the country from the front line, and the Ukrainian military is believed to have significant airfields as well as arsenals and depots there.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out an overnight strike with long-range, air-launched weapons, hitting a Ukrainian air base along with an ammunition depot containing stockpiles of missiles and components for drone production.
Associated Press journalist Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.
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