Trump wants end to Russia's war in Ukraine by 8 August, US tells UN
US President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine by 8 August, 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 council.
The move aligns with Trump’s campaign promise to swiftly resolve the Ukraine conflict upon taking office in January 2025.
Initially, Trump criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and suspended US weapons supplies. However, he later changed his mind, resuming aid and threatening Russia with severe sanctions if a deal is not reached.
Earlier this week, Trump said that he was reducing the 50-day deadline he gave Russia over its war in Ukraine to "10 or 12" days, underscoring his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for prolonging fighting between the two countries.
Ukrainian officials, including Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, welcomed Trump’s stance on Monday, emphasising that “Putin only understands strength.”
Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia "10 days from today" if Moscow showed no progress toward ending its war in Ukraine.
Kyiv and Moscow have held three rounds of talks in Istanbul this year that yielded exchanges of prisoners and bodies, but no breakthrough to defuse the more than three-year conflict.
"We intend to continue the negotiations in Istanbul," Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council, but he added: “Despite the meetings in Istanbul, in the West, the war party did not go away ... We continue hearing voices of those who think that diplomacy is just a way of criticising Russia and exerting pressure on it."
Ukraine’s deputy UN Ambassador Khrystyna Hayovyshyn said Russia must be confronted with "unity, resolve and action."
"We seek a comprehensive, just and lasting peace grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and nothing less. We repeat: a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire is essential. It is the first step to halting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," she told the council.
