U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Russia Thursday, calling its military actions in Ukraine “disgusting” and setting an Aug. 8 deadline to reach a peace deal – or face sweeping new sanctions.
“Russia, I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing,” Trump told reporters, shortly after Russian missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 16 people.
His remarks followed weeks of mounting frustration over President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to halt the offensive that has raged since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
Trump said his special envoy, Steve Witkoff – currently in Israel – would soon travel to Moscow to push for talks. Witkoff, a key figure in Trump’s backchannel diplomacy, has met with Putin multiple times in recent years.
Despite early optimism that Trump could broker an end to the war, peace efforts have repeatedly stalled. Three rounds of talks in Istanbul led to limited exchanges of prisoners and bodies but failed to break the deadlock.
