by Tyler Durden
Aug 01, 2025
The war of words just escalated to something far more ominous…
On Tuesday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued the Kremlin’s response to President Trump’s Monday announcement from Scotland that he’s reducing a deadline for Russia to agree a peace settlement from 50 days to 10 or 12 days, citing ‘disappointment’ in Putin not ending or at least winding down the war.
Medvedev warned: “Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran” and thus that “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump’s) own country.”
That followed comments by Medvedev that Trump ‘steamrolled, humiliated’ Europe with his trade deal.
Then Thursday, Trump told Medvedev to “watch his words”
Continue Reading at zerohedge.com
Trump Admin’s Secret Talks With Moscow ‘Fruitless’ As Putin Boasts Troops Advancing ‘Along Entire Frontline’
In Thursday comments President Trump condemned what he called Russia’s “disgusting” strikes on the Ukrainian capital from the night prior, which left 28 dead according to the continually rising death toll, after emergency crews have been picking through rubble of a collapsed apartment building.
The Trump administration has also informed the UN Security Council that a deal needs to be reached by August 8, or else new tariffs and sanctions targeting Russia and its trading partners will be unleashed.
“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,” US diplomat John Kelley told the UN Security Council, according to Reuters.
Trump is still seeking to distance himself from the conflict, given he’s calling it “Biden’s war”.
There’s apparently been a big push behind the scenes, focused on secret talks, to make something happen with Russia on the peace front, as the NY Times writes:
Mr. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged in an interview with Fox News Radio that the administration held secret talks with Russia this week — “not with Putin but with some of Putin’s top people” — and made no progress on a cease-fire. Mr. Trump said he was dispatching his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Russia again, but the last visit that Mr. Witkoff, a fellow real estate investor, paid to Mr. Putin proved fruitless.
Administration officials gave no reasons to believe the latest engagement with Russia would be any more useful. And Mr. Trump himself, usually a true believer in the power of economic sanctions to alter the decisions of foreign leaders, admitted for the second time this week that Mr. Putin appears to be immune.
But then Trump has also conceded that “I don’t know that sanctions bother him” – in reference to Putin and the fact that the Russian economy has been doing relatively well considering the Western-imposed isolation.
It was merely months ago that Trump’s top officials, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were in Europe declaring that Ukraine would never be in NATO and even suggesting that ultimately the war is not Moscow’s fault, breaking sharply with the Western defense establishment. There was also the Oval Office shouting match with Zelensky, where Vice President JD Vance called out the Ukrainian leader.
NY Times’ commentary continues by pointing out a complete 180 in Trump’s thinking on Ukraine, further pointing to the fresh Rubio interview:
Continue Reading at: zerohedge.com
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