Trump’s disillusionment with Putin prompts dramatic U-turn on Ukraine

In a striking reversal, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on 14 July a major policy shift to supply Ukraine with advanced weapons and threatened severe sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil, driven by deep disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to honour ceasefire talks.

The decision comes at a critical juncture for Ukraine, as Russia has intensified its assaults, deploying hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities in recent days, defying expectations of de-escalation.

Trump’s frustration with Putin, whom he accused of duplicity in peace negotiations, marks a sharp departure from his earlier conciliatory approach, underscoring the mounting challenges in resolving the over three-year-old war.

Sitting alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump expressed his exasperation, stating, “I’m disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago. But it doesn’t seem to get there.”

He revealed plans to send “top-of-the-line” U.S. weapons, including urgently needed Patriot air defence missile systems, to Ukraine via NATO, with allies like Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada footing the bill.

“It’s a full complement with the batteries,” Trump said, noting that some or all of 17 Patriot batteries ordered by other nations could be redirected to Ukraine “very quickly.” This move reverses a brief pause in U.S. arms shipments, which had alarmed Kyiv as Russian attacks escalated, including a record 728 drones and 11 missiles launched overnight on 8 July, targeting cities like Kyiv, Lutsk, Lviv, and Rivne.

Trump’s pivot was catalysed by Putin’s refusal to accept a U.S.-proposed unconditional ceasefire, which Kyiv swiftly endorsed. Despite multiple conversations – Trump claimed “we actually had probably four times a deal” – Russian forces have intensified their onslaught, with a major attack on 7 July, involving 261 missiles and drones targeting Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned these strikes as a deliberate rebuff of peace efforts, stating, “It comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all.”

Trump echoed this sentiment, venting, “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless. It’s all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people.” This betrayal, particularly Putin’s questioning of Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, has fuelled Trump’s anger, with the U.S. president lamenting, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin.”

Adding economic pressure, Trump threatened “very severe” secondary tariffs of 100% on countries buying Russian oil, such as China and India, if no peace deal is reached within 50 days. This marks a significant shift in Western sanctions policy, which has avoided restricting Russia’s oil exports, allowing Moscow to earn hundreds of billions from sales to non-Western buyers.

A White House official clarified that Trump’s plan includes 100% tariffs on Russian goods and secondary sanctions on nations purchasing its exports, with a Senate bill backed by 85 senators proposing up to 500% tariffs on countries aiding Russia.

The 50-day grace period tempered market fears, with Russia’s rouble recovering and stock indices rising, as analyst Artyom Nikolayev noted, “Trump gave 50 days during which the Russian leadership can come up with something and extend the negotiation track.” However, Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers could mitigate these sanctions, as it has evaded existing restrictions.

In Kyiv, reactions were mixed. While some, like dentist Denys Podilchuk, welcomed the arms support, scepticism persisted about Trump’s reliability, given his earlier reluctance to back Ukraine’s NATO aspirations or demand Russia’s full withdrawal. Zelenskyy, after productive talks with Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg on 14 July, emphasized strengthening Ukraine’s air defences and joint weapons production with Europe. Yet, an air-raid alert in Kyiv shortly after underscored the ongoing threat.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov accused Russia of stalling peace talks, while Hanna Shelest of the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council told NPR, “Russia is dragging out negotiations so the U.S. won’t introduce new sanctions.”

Separately on Monday, Zelenskyy said he would replace his long-serving Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal with Shmyhal’s first deputy, Yulia Svyrydenko, an economist who played a key role in negotiations between Kyiv and Washington on a minerals deal. Her appointment will require parliamentary approval.

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 July 2025. EPA/YURI GRIPAS / POOL