Trump threatens ‘very severe’ tariffs against Russia if no Ukraine deal within 50 days

Fifty days gives the Kremlin plenty of room for manoeuvrepublished at 17:12 British Summer Time 14 July

17:12 BST 14 July

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

On the face of it, today’s announcements from the White House are extremely encouraging for Ukraine.

Kyiv will be even more heartened once it sees the promised defensive weapons turn up inside its borders.

But when it comes to President Trump’s 50-day ultimatum to Russia for a ceasefire, well, we have rather been here before and high hopes were collectively dashed by both Presidents Trump and Putin.

In May, the leaders of four major European nations, France, Germany, the UK and Poland, came to Kyiv and laid down a ceasefire ultimatum to Moscow or face crippling sanctions.

But President Putin swiftly averted this by offering ‘direct talks’ with Ukraine in Istanbul, which Trump more or less ordered Ukraine’s leader to attend. He duly did, Putin didn’t show up and Trump did nothing.

Net effect: the ceasefire ultimatum went nowhere.

This time may be different. Donald Trump is, at least in public, venting his frustration with Vladimir Putin.

But 50 days gives the Kremlin plenty of room for manoeuvre. Time, in other words, in which to come up with a counter offer that forestalls the threatened sanctions.

At the present rate of fire, 50 days also theoretically gives Russia time to launch up to a further 25,000 drones and missiles at Ukraine during its nightly bombardments.