Trump sets Aug 8 as deadline to end Russian war in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS: US President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine by August 8, the United States told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

“Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace,” senior US diplomat John Kelley told the 15-member Security Council.

The latest move shows how Trump is using the US power to press ahead with his agenda.

He had promised to end the Ukraine war within days before the 2024 presidential election. However, the failure to achieve his goal through soft diplomacy with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin made him rethink his strategy.

Russia had earlier said that The Kremlin said on Wednesday it continues to monitor statements by US President Donald Trump regarding sanctions against Moscow, but that Russia had acquired immunity to such measures thanks to long experience.

On Wednesday, Trump said United States will impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting on Aug 1, besides an additional penalty for its imports from Russia.

Read more: India to face 25pc Trump tariffs from August 1

Later in the day, he described the Indian and Russian economies as dead.

In a social media post sent at midnight Wednesday, Trump said “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

Read more: Trump says India is a ‘dead economy’, Rahul agrees

“We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,” he added.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow.