Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised President Trump for shortening Russia’s deadline to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine but said the move is “long overdue.”
“Too many innocent lives are at stake for President Trump to let Putin continue playing him for time. This shorter deadline is a positive step, but long overdue,” Shaheen said in a statement.
Trump on Monday said he plans to shorten the timeline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine to “about 10 or 12 days from today,” adding, “We just don’t see any progress being made.”
Trump on July 14 said Russia would face additional sanctions and tariffs if it did not stop fighting in Ukraine within 50 days, putting the deadline at Sept. 2. But Monday, the president indicated he would push up that time frame to early August.
“We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” Trump said standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “You have bodies lying all over the street. And I say that’s not the way to do it. So we’ll see what happens with that. I’m very disappointed. I’m disappointed in President Putin.
“I’m going to reduce that 50 days. I gave him to a lesser number, because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen,” Trump added.
Shaheen urged the president to make good on his warning, saying Congress must also do its part in moving a sanctions package forward against Russia.
“The President needs to match his words with real action and not let Putin cross yet another red line,” Shaheen said.
“At the same time we must continue to press forward in Congress on bipartisan legislation to impose punishing sanctions on the Kremlin and ensure Ukraine has the support it needs to finally bring Putin to the negotiating table,” she continued.
