Trump: Putin Wants to Take All of Ukraine, but It Won’t Be Easy

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to capture all of Ukraine, but doing so will be a significant challenge. He made the remarks during an interview on the Finnerty program.

Trump stated that while the U.S. intends to impose further sanctions on Russia, Putin is already adept at circumventing them. Expressing frustration, Trump recalled past conversations with the Russian leader that he believed had the potential to end the conflict.

“We had numerous good conversations where we could have ended this thing, and all of a sudden bombs start flying,” he said. “He’s obviously a tough cookie. I thought we had it worked out three different times. Maybe he wants to try and take the whole thing Ukraine but I think it’s going to be very hard for him.”

Trump’s Ultimatum to Putin

In July, Trump strongly condemned Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and issued a 50-day ultimatum for peace. He warned that if no agreement was reached, the U.S. would impose strict sanctions not only on Russia but also on nations continuing to buy Russian oil.

However, on July 29, Trump unexpectedly shortened the deadline to just 10 days, setting a final cutoff for August 8 due to lack of progress.

The Kremlin responded defiantly, vowing to continue the full-scale war and issuing nuclear threats against the United States. Despite the heightened rhetoric, Trump announced on July 31 that U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Moscow likely to pursue a last-ditch diplomatic resolution.

Expert Insight

Military analyst Mykhailo Samus told RBC-Ukraine that Witkoff’s visit could represent the final opportunity for direct dialogue between President Trump and Putin regarding the conflict in Ukraine.