Former President and Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has shrugged off President Donald Trump‘s latest moves on Ukraine.
“Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin,” Medvedev, Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s deputy on the Security Council of Russia, posted on social media.
“The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care,” the top Putin ally said.
Trump’s Latest Ukraine Decisions
Trump confirmed on Monday, July 14, that he would be sending more Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, as well as “sophisticated” offensive weapons that would be paid for by Kyiv’s European allies.
He also threatened to hit Russia with 100 percent secondary sanctions if Putin did not end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, a move that could strike a painful economic blow to Russia. This would mean those still trading with Russia would face the tariff, forcing them to choose sides.
The American president unveiled the moves during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Putin Frustrates Trump
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin as Moscow pounds Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles and Russian troops continue their ground offensives while the White House is attempting to broker peace.
Trump had for months resisted pressure from Kyiv and NATO allies to turn the screw on Putin, engaging directly with Russia and distancing from Ukraine in the hopes that smoothing U.S. relations with Moscow would bring about a rapid end to the war.
But Trump has since said he does not believe Putin wants to stop his invasion, triggering a hardening of his stance against Russia and a pivot back toward aiding Ukraine’s defense, albeit with the costs largely borne by European taxpayers instead of Americans.
“My conversations with [Putin] are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump said at the White House on Monday, adding that “it just keeps going on and on and on.”
MIKHAIL METZEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Russian Demands for Ukraine Peace
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov laid out Moscow’s main demands for peace in a recent interview with Hungarian media.
They include a demilitarized and neutral Ukraine that is not a member of NATO; international recognition of the Ukrainian territory now under Russian control; the lifting of sanctions on Russia and an end to legal action against Russian businesses; and greater protections for the Russian language and culture in Ukraine.
Ukraine accuses Russia of an imperial war of aggression against a sovereign country, one that has needlessly killed hundreds of thousands of people, and a desire to erase Ukrainian identity. Kyiv says Russia will not stop unless it is forced to.
