Ukrainians welcome US aid but see Trump’s 50-day ultimatum to Putin as too long

Kyiv: Ukrainians welcomed US President Donald Trump’s pledge of more US-made weapons in their three-year fight against Russia’s invasion, though it is unclear what exactly they will get and how quickly.

The time frame for the further arms deliveries, which European countries have agreed to pay for, is crucial. Russia is making a summer push to break through along the 1,000-km front line, and its drones and missiles are hammering Ukrainian cities more than at any time in the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his “willingness to support Ukraine”. In Kyiv, resident Nina Tokar, 70, said Tuesday that with more US weapons going to Ukraine “maybe this will all end faster”.

However, following Trump’s threat late last week to impose major sanctions on Russia for failing to reach a deal to end the fighting, the American president said Monday that Moscow would get 50 days to come to a settlement or face “very severe” economic sanctions.

While some believe strict tariffs on Moscow could be a game changer, the decision to postpone them until September struck

some European observers as being too long. Ukrainian officials made no direct comment about the 50-day window, but for Russia, the delay of new sanctions came

as a reprieve.