By Riley Stuart, ABC, in London
US President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, 28 July 2025. Photo: AFP / Pool / Christopher Furlong
Donald Trump has warned Russia it has "10 to 12 days" to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine before he expands sanctions, slashing the lengthier deadline he suggested earlier this month.
Speaking at his Trump Turnberry golf club in Scotland on Monday, local time, the US president said he would enforce severe tariffs on Moscow, and its trading partners, if it didn't agree to end its full-scale invasion.
The surprise announcement drew a furious response from the Kremlin, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev posting on X: "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump's) own country."
Medvedev remains a high-ranking security official in Moscow.
Mr Trump told reporters he was "disappointed" in his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what's going to happen," he said.
He later said the new timeline would be "10 to 12 days" and that he would confirm the exact number soon.
File photo. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev pictured in Moscow in 2020. Photo: AFP
Trump is visiting the UK to open his new golf course and meet leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Trump's decision to ramp up pressure on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine was welcomed in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top aide, Andriy Yermak, posted on social media: "When America leads with strength, others think twice."
Although it's not clear what specific measures the US will impose on Russia, Trump flagged so-called "secondary sanctions" that would penalise countries that do business with Moscow.
It means China, which is Russia's largest trading partner that's taken a largely neutral stance on Putin's full-scale invasion, would have more skin in the game.
Hitting China with more tariffs would likely reignite trade war between Beijing and Washington which had been sparked after the Trump administration took office in January.
"There's no reason for waiting. It was 50 days, I wanted to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made," Trump said on Monday.
He later clarified: "I don't want to do that to Russia, I love the Russian people."
Fighting has remained intense on the front lines in Ukraine, and on Monday, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had captured two settlements in the country's east.
It comes as the Kremlin's aerial attacks on Ukraine's major cities, including Kyiv, escalate.
Mr Trump has previously declared that he and Putin have had a good relationship, and while they've spoken on the phone several times in the past six months, an in-person meeting has not been convened.
The US president's rhetoric has steadily been deteriorating with regard to his Russian counterpart, though.
After initially promising during his election campaign that he could end the Ukraine war in one day, Mr Trump has shown frustration with both Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy at various stages over the past six months.
In April, the US president took to social media and implored Mr Putin to stop attacking Ukraine, writing: "Vladimir, stop!"
That came two months after Zelensky had endured an awkward meeting with Trump and his deputy, JD Vance, in the Oval Office, which ended with the trio arguing openly in front of the world's media.
- ABC
