Trump: 'Peace in 50 days or 100 per cent tariffs on Russia'. Phone call with Zelensky

"It is a good law and could be useful, but I think there will be no need for it," he noted. It would be - the White House went on to explain - secondary sanctions, which would hit not only Russia's exports to the US (which are very limited) but above all Moscow's trade partners, from China to India, which buy its energy in particular. The aim is to isolate Russia from the world economy by blocking the financing of its war machine.

"I use trade for many things, but it is great for solving wars," The Donald explained. However, the president dribbled out the question as to why he gives Putin so much time.

The EU High Representative himself, Kaja Kallas, while describing it as 'positive that President Donald Trump is showing a tough stance with Russia', noted that '50 days is a very long time, as Ukrainians are being killed every day'.

The tycoon also did not want to lash out at Putin: 'I don't want to say he's a murderer, but he's a tough guy,' he replied, saying he was convinced that an understanding could be reached. Trump then outlined the agreement with NATO to provide a renewed US arms supply channel to Kiev.

The European allies, coordinated by the Alliance, will purchase military equipment and transfer it to Ukraine. Purchases to the tune of 'billions and billions' of dollars, the US president said, emphasising that the US will produce weapons of the highest quality but will not disburse anything. Certainly there will be Patriot batteries and the first ones 'will arrive very soon, within days'.

Rutte said that Germany, Finland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, the UK and Denmark would be among the buyers to help Ukraine. Berlin is ready to provide two Patriots (its Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is in Washington to negotiate), Norway one.

But, according to Axios, the US could also sell long-range missiles capable of reaching targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow. Meanwhile in Kiev President Volodymyr Zelensky had a 'productive meeting' with Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg.

"We discussed the path to peace and what we can concretely do together to bring it closer," he wrote on social media. "This includes strengthening Ukrainian air defence, joint production and procurement of defence weapons in cooperation with Europe," he added, thanking Trump "for the important signals of support".

The first comment coming from Moscow tends to downplay the significance of the US turnaround: 'If this is all that Trump intended to declare today on Ukraine, it's a lot of smoke and little fire,' Duma Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kossacyov noted on Telegram.

"In 50 days," he continued, "how many things can change on the battlefield and in the moods of NATO and US leaders! Referring then to the fact that European countries will have to pay Washington for armaments for Ukraine, he added: "The Europeans will have to shell out and shell out, the free cheese for them was in a mousetrap. There is only one beneficiary: the US military-industrial complex'.

Trump also told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian leader Vladimir Putin 'wants to take everything', referring to a planned new Moscow offensive in eastern Ukraine, Axios reports, citing a source with direct knowledge of the conversation. Trump, the US news site reveals, spoke with Macron immediately after a phone call he had with Putin on 3 July. During this conversation, Putin - again according to Axios - told Trump that he was planning another escalation in the east over the next 60 days, to reach the administrative borders of regions where he has a significant presence.