ISTANBUL

Ukraine on Monday thanked US President Donald Trump after he announced he will shorten the 50-day deadline he set for Russia to reach a ceasefire deal with Kyiv.

“Thanks to President @POTUS for standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said on X.

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin respects only power — and that message is loud and clear. When America leads with strength, others think twice,” Yermak added.

Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters ahead of a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland that he is "very disappointed" with his Russian counterpart, saying Putin "goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like (the capital) Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever."

"We're going to have to look. I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him (for a ceasefire with Ukraine) to a lesser number, because I think I already know the answer (to) what’s gonna happen," Trump added.

On July 14 Trump threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia if a deal on ending the war in Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.