Turnberry (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Donald Trump issued on Monday a dramatic new ultimatum to Russia 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 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.
Ukraine swiftly praised the US president’s stand and thanked Trump for “standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength.” “When America leads with strength, others think twice,” Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said on social media. The comments came after Trump and Starmer held a bilateral meeting that focused on ending the suffering in Gaza and reviving stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Trump announced the US would set up walk-in “food centres” in Gaza.
Starmer, under domestic pressure to follow France’s lead and recognise 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, which 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.
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 fulfil 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 August 1 to replace the current tariff regime these economies face, a White House spokesperson told AFP.
After their meeting, Trump and Starmer were to travel to Aberdeen in Scotland’s northeast, where the US president is to open a new golf course at his resort on Tuesday. Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on a five-day visit that has mixed leisure with diplomacy, and also further blurred the lines between the presidency and his business interests.
© 2024 AFP
