Source: Global Times
【Global Times reporter Li Ziyu】After US President Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russia-Ukraine peace talks on the 14th, according to reports by "Russia Today" (RT) and other media, on the 15th, US Republican Senator Lindsay Graham posted on the social platform X, threatening Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days, otherwise the next step would be like Iran. On the same day, Russia responded to Trump's threatening remarks, stating that any attempt to set conditions or "ultimatum" for Russia is unacceptable.
Lindsay Graham Photo by foreign media
Graham said in his post that day, "If (Russian President) Putin and others want to know what happens on the 51st day, I suggest they call the Grand Ayatollah (Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei)."
Regarding Graham's comments, CNN commented that this analogy is inappropriate because Trump did not threaten to bomb Moscow. However, earlier, the UK Financial Times reported on the morning of the 15th that Trump had privately encouraged Ukraine to carry out deep strikes against Russia during a call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, asking, "Vladimir, can you strike Moscow? Can you strike St. Petersburg?" According to reports, Zelenskyy replied, "Of course. As long as you give us these weapons, we can." Later, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levet responded that the Financial Times was taking things out of context, and Trump did not encourage Zelenskyy to strike Moscow.
Trump said on July 14 that if Russia did not reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days, the US would impose "very severe" tariffs on Russia, secondary tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and other goods, and provide military assistance to Ukraine, including the "Patriot" air defense missile system, through NATO.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov responded to Trump's statements about Russia on July 15, stating that any attempt to set conditions or issue an "ultimatum" to Russia is unacceptable. If diplomatic channels fail, the special military operation against Ukraine will continue. Regarding Trump's threat to impose "very severe" tariffs on Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko said on the same day that the US statement was "bizarre," saying, "Any agreement must be based on negotiations, but Ukraine is currently absent from the negotiations." He stated that the US' statement on the 14th did not call on Ukraine to respond to Russia's willingness to negotiate, indicating that the West has no interest in promoting a complete negotiation between Ukraine and Russia, again proving that NATO countries are truly concerned about how to prolong the conflict to consume Russia.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527626683404141106/
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