Aberdeen (United Kingdom) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Monday issued Moscow with a dramatic new deadline to end the war in Ukraine or face tough new sanctions, as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. Saying he was not very interested in talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin anymore, the US leader also shifted his tone on Gaza, acknowledging there were signs of “real starvation” in the conflict-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Trump, sitting alongside Starmer at the US leader’s luxury golf resort in Turnberry, south of Glasgow, said he was “very disappointed” with Putin over continued strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets. He announced that he was reducing an earlier 50-day deadline set on July 14 for Putin to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end to “about 10 or 12 days,” starting immediately. “There is no reason in waiting,” Trump said, adding he thought Putin would want to end things quickly. “I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it’s going to end he kills people. I’m not so interested in talking (to him) anymore,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky swiftly praised the US president’s stand, thanking Trump for his “clear stance and expressed determination.” “Right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace. I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war,” Zelensky said on social media. The talks between Trump and Starmer focused on ending the suffering in Gaza and reviving stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Trump announced the United States would set up walk-in “food centres” in Gaza and said he believed a ceasefire was still possible.
Starmer, under domestic pressure to follow France’s lead and recognize a Palestinian state, called the situation unfolding in Gaza an “absolute catastrophe.” The pair also discussed the implementation of a UK-US trade deal that was signed on May 8 that lowered tariffs for certain UK exports but has yet to come into force. Trump hosted Starmer and his wife Victoria under tight security at Turnberry, where he had spent two days playing golf since landing in Scotland on Friday night for a five-day visit.
They then flew by Air Force One to Prestwick, near Glasgow, where they boarded the helicopter Marine One to fly to Trump’s other golf resort in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland, for a private dinner. Their talks came after the United States and the European Union reached a landmark deal to avert a full-blown trade war over tariffs, when EU chief Ursula von der Leyen visited Trump at the resort on Sunday. Trump hinted that he would not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals. “We certainly feel a lot better with your country working on pharmaceuticals for America than some of the other countries,” he told Starmer. “With the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn’t be using it as a block,” he added.
Trump set out early in his second term to fulfill a decades-long desire of reshaping US trade with the world, with his administration predicting his aggressive strategy of punitive tariffs could bring “90 deals in 90 days.” After months with very little to show, he is now enjoying some success, landing accords with Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and, most importantly, the European Union. The deals are expected to kick in on August 1 to replace the current tariff regime these economies face, a White House spokesperson told AFP. The US president is due to open a new golf course at his Aberdeenshire resort on Tuesday, before heading back to the United States later in the day.
© 2024 AFP
