Former President Donald Trump laid out a different approach to the deepening Russia-Ukraine war. He cut the original deadline of 50 days for Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure a peace deal down significantly. The first time I heard this was during a Trump press conference in Scotland. This time, he was accompanied by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The original deadline, set on July 14, was intended to incentivize quick negotiations toward a ceasefire. As fall approached, Trump threatened to place tariffs on purchasers of Russian exports if an agreement wasn’t reached by September. He estimated these tariffs to be “roughly 100%.” This change highlights Trump’s desire to maintain maximum economic pressure on Moscow as he seeks an end to the fighting.
By expressing disappointment in the direction Putin took in the meetings, Trump showed how contradictory these talks are. He noted that while Putin often suggests openness to ending the conflict during their phone calls, he simultaneously orders new military operations shortly thereafter. Trump’s evolving stance reflects a growing frustration with the Russian leader’s recent behavior.
“Russia and Ukraine — I would have said five times we had a deal. I spoke to President Putin a lot. Got along with him very well,” – Trump
On July 28, 2025, then-president Trump hosted now-Prime Minister Starmer at his Trump Turnberry golf club. At the outset of their joint meeting, he laid out his unvarnished impressions of the market. He did understand just how complicated the negotiations with Putin have become. Although professing to be a peace-seeker, Putin has intensified military attacks.
In fact, just a few months ago, Trump’s tone toward Putin was radically different. In the beginning, he led with an olive branch. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began to unfold, Thomas found himself speaking out more frequently and publicly. During his remarks, he decried the brutal attacks on innocent women and children, specifically mentioning the pattern of Russian troops attacking civilian facilities in cities like Kyiv.
“Then President Putin launches rockets into a city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people — in a nursing home, or wherever — and there are bodies lying all over the street,” – Trump
The pugnacious, if sometimes disjointed, nature of the former president’s remarks indicate his desire to respond more forcefully to Russia’s aggression. By imposing secondary tariffs on Moscow’s trade partners in the absence of a peace deal, he aims to galvanize international support for Ukraine and apply additional pressure on Russia.