Expert explains why Trump shortens deadline for Putin
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has shortened the deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin because he is tired of waiting. Now, using card game terminology, Trump is going all in, stated Valerii Klochok, head of the Center for Civic Analytics Vezha, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
Klochok noted that while Trump’s announcement of an August 8 deadline could be described as "taken out of the air," the real reason is that Trump has lost patience. This was indirectly confirmed by the US State Department, which commented on how Trump's actions should be interpreted.
"This isn’t about nobility or anything like that. He showed patience, but as the State Department said, the Kremlin misread it. And so did Beijing," the expert said.
According to Klochok, this means the game is now being played "with higher stakes." Trump is going all in, as he has many tools at his disposal, and is developing new ones.
"The deal with the European Union is also one of the trump cards he will use. So yes, we can indeed expect decisions from Trump on August 8," the expert explained.
What exactly those decisions will look like remains unclear. Among possible options is a sanctions package against China, such as the widely discussed 100-200% tariffs. But Trump might also announce a grace period for China - six months, or three to four months.
"It won’t happen on August 9. And then this major geopolitical game will continue. In negotiations - of course, with China, not Russia - the message will be: we are ready to lift the sanctions if you stop the war," Klochok summarized.
Meanwhile, Trump has already promised to impose tariffs on India. One of the reasons is its trade with Russia. He announced that starting August 1, India will face a 25% tariff on goods, plus penalty tariffs for trading with Russia. India, in response, has already expressed readiness to abandon Russian oil if Washington imposes sanctions.
In addition, the US Treasury has warned China, Russia’s second-largest oil buyer, of inevitable punishment. Scott Bessent mocked Chinese claims that trade with Russia is Beijing’s sovereign right, stating that if that’s the case, China can pay 100% tariffs.
Back on July 14, Trump gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal with Ukraine. However, on July 29, the US leader unexpectedly announced that the deadline had been reduced to just 10 days. According to him, there’s no reason to wait any longer, since Russia’s response to his ultimatum is already clear.
The Kremlin immediately declared Russia would continue the war regardless of the US President’s ultimatums. At the same time, the Kremlin began trying to blackmail the US by hinting at its unwillingness to extend the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty.
