President Donald Trump made big news on Monday, shortening Russia’s 50-day deadline and taking serious effort on peace in Ukraine, becoming “10-12 days from now.”
“There’s no reason to wait,” Trump said. “I want to be generous, but I can’t see any progress being made.”
Trump said Russia has not made its way to the deadline and will chase after the country buying Russian oil, bringing strong tariffs and secondary sanctions.
If this were to be said, Russia now appears poised to pass serious sanctions, now supported by more than 80 MPs, before these serious measures begin, before they reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine by August 9 instead of September 9.
But that’s if he’s actually stuck to his new deadline.
Many analysts note that Trump’s deadlines are often adaptable. He regularly promises something in “two weeks” and then doesn’t produce it. His tariff deadlines were regularly returned when the trade contract was not struck.
But perhaps these deadlines do not have more significant deadlines than their enemy’s foreign policy. And repeating this year, Trump has proven that even these deadlines aren’t particularly difficult.
That’s especially true on the Russian subject, where Trump gave a series of “two weeks” deadlines, and it’s from 50 days to 10-12 days after passing those deadlines.
Last month, when people were forced to miss the two-week deadline, White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt stressed that these were “complex global conflicts” Trump is trying to resolve.
But the president is also someone who stressed the stupidity of not setting up a hardline and following along with his enemies, at least in the past. He repeatedly criticized then-President Barack Obama for setting a “red line” with Syria for its use of chemical weapons and for not acting when it was done.
“The whole world knew that it definitely meant nothing,” Trump said in a speech at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
So how did Trump’s deadline pan out early in his second term? Let’s look into it.
Mid March: Trump sends a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, giving him two months to reach the nuclear deal.
Clear deadline: mid-May
June 13: Trump gives Iran “probably a second chance.” He suggests that the previous two-month deadline is actually June 12th, “Today is the 61st day. I told them what to do, but they couldn’t get there,” he posts about the truth social.
June 19: Trump suggests that he decides to hit Iran soon. “We’ll decide whether we’ll go within the next two weeks (attack Iran),” Trump said in a statement read by White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt.
Clear deadline: July 3rd
June 21: Trump launched a strike at Iran’s nuclear facility just two days later, saying that his decision could take two weeks.
His first two months’ deadline was clearly past. Republicans suggest that the strike that Trump ultimately launched showed his threat was a real threat. But it’s not clear how coincidence this was. Israel appeared to be opening its doors by launching its own strike on Iran in mid-June.
And some suspected it was a ruse with his decision to start a strike soon after saying that he had made the decision within two weeks. In fact, CNN reports that the allies who spoke to him on June 19 say it is clear that a strike decision was already made, but that has always been the subject of a reversal.
Many deadlines for the Russian-Ukraine war: 2 weeks, 50 days, and now 10-12 days
April 24: Trump said of making a decision on continuing military aid to Ukraine: “We can ask that question in two weeks.
April 27: When asked if he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said: “We’ll let you know in about two weeks.”
Clear deadline: May 8th
May 14: When reporters ask whether Putin is “slamming him with him,” Trump said:
Clear deadline: May 21st
May 19: Trump gives another two weeks to determine whether Ukraine is serious about ending the war.
Clear deadline: June 2nd
May 28: “We’ll let you know in about two weeks within two weeks,” Trump says when asked if Russia is serious about ending the war. He adds: “We’re going to see if (Putin) is bashing us, and if that’s the case, we’ll take a little differently.”
Apparent deadline: June 11th
But Trump isn’t in time for that deadline, he recently extended it — and now has shortened that deadline — suggests a more severe response if Russia doesn’t play the ball.
July 14: “If we don’t have a 50-day transaction, we’re going to have very strict tariffs,” Trump says. “About 100% tariffs, you’ll call them secondary tariffs. You know what that means.”
Clear deadline: September 2nd
July 28: Trump said the deadline is 10-12 due to lack of progress. “Yeah, I’ll have a new deadline from about 10 or 12th from today,” he says: “Because I think I already know the answer.”
Clear deadline: August 9th
Trump deadlines were everywhere. Many of them deal with various aspects of negotiating the end of the war in Ukraine. However, he rarely offers a harsh verdict on important issues promised on a particular day.
Many extensions of Tiktok and the fleeting promise of advancement
January 20: Trump signs an executive order delaying the 75-day enforcement of a law passed in Congress that forces Tiktok to sell from Chinese owners or block them domestically. He says he will use this time to cut down on trades to sell Tiktok. (Despite the 75-day window, Trump will cast “90 days to make that decision.”)
Deadline: April 5th
April 3: “We’re very close to dealing with a group of very good people in Tiktok,” Trump says.
April 4: Trump signed an additional 75-day extension, saying “more work is needed to ensure that all necessary approvals are signed.” He would later say a “report” that China “changed the transaction due to tariffs.”
Deadline: June 19th
April 17: Trump suggests that deals may be imminent and will continue to extend deadlines if necessary. “We have a contract with Tiktok, which is covered by China,” Trump says. “So we’re just delaying the transaction until this works in some way.”
June 19: Trump signs another extension. This time it’s 90 days. Leavitt says that extra time is needed and Trump “doesn’t want Tiktok to get dark.”
Deadline: September 17th
June 29: Trump claims in an interview aired that day that he has “a buyer of Tiktok.” When asked who it is, he says, “I’ll tell you in about two weeks.”
Clear deadline for naming Tiktok buyers: July 13th
July 4: “We have almost all deals,” Trump tells reporters, signaling that talks with China will begin in a few days.
Three weeks later, there are no transactions yet. He does not state who the expected buyer is.
Trump, who said he would ban Tiktok during his first term, made it clear enough that he didn’t want to close Tiktok. It certainly could reduce pressure on Chinese people to cut trade.