Condoleezza Rice says turning point in Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Russia has become a key moment in international attempts to achieve peace in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview with The Hill.

According to her, the recent events marked a significant turnaround in efforts to end the war. Rice noted that the United States and Europe have finally come to a consensus that Vladimir Putin cannot be stopped by diplomacy alone.

He can only be deterred by convincing him that further advances will not bring him victory," she emphasised.

Her statement came amid Trump's threats to impose serious sanctions against Moscow "if the Kremlin does not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days." Rice acknowledged that tougher sanctions could be difficult to impose because of Russia's ties to countries such as China and India, but suggested that those countries might also reconsider their attitudes toward the Kremlin.

The former secretary of state criticised the Joe Biden administration for being too slow to provide Ukraine with arms after the start of a major Russian invasion in 2022. In her opinion, if the USA had immediately provided Ukraine with all the necessary arsenal, the conflict could have ended with a decisive victory for Kiev.

Note, Donald Trump has radically changed his position on the war in Ukraine, moving to actively support tough measures against the Kremlin. He promised to send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, and also noted that NATO would bear the bulk of the armament costs. Despite such statements, Russia's military actions on Ukrainian territory continue.