Russia swept away, Wednesday, July 16, the ultimatum launched by Donald Trump concerning a ceasefire in Ukraine. Moscow denounces unacceptable pressure and ensures that its military operation will continue in the absence of a diplomatic solution.
Russian Foreign Deputy Minister Sergei Riabkov said Russia rejected the 50-day ultimatum launched by Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. He also qualified as unacceptable threats from the American president to impose severe customs duties.
The unshakable Moscow position
While saying that Moscow favored diplomacy, Mr. Riabkov insisted: “If we cannot achieve our objectives by diplomatic means, the special military operation will continue. He called Washington and NATO to take the Russian position “seriously”.
Tuesday, Donald Trump deny that he had encouraged kyiv to strike Russian territory, assuring not to take sides in the conflict. He even advised Ukraine to “not target Moscow” with long -range weapons.
However, the day before, he said that the United States would deliver new weapons via NATO, including patriot missiles expected “in the coming days”, and would impose customs sanctions on Russia if no agreement was found in the 50 days.
Reactions
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the announcement of arms deliveries, denouncing additional evidence that NATO does not wish peace.
For his part, the United States Minister of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, confirmed that the “secondary customs rights” mentioned by Trump could reach 100%, which would be equivalent to new economic sanctions.
Diplomacy and military pressure against the backdrop of economic climbing
Donald Trump’s ultimatum is part of a context where the American administration seeks to accelerate a diplomatic outing of the conflict, while maintaining economic and military pressure on Moscow.