President Donald Trump on July 14 announced the U.S. would impose "severe tariffs" on Russia unless Moscow agrees to a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, but experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent say the plan is deeply flawed.

Former Ukraine aid critics now back Trump's strategy requiring European funding for weapons to Kyiv after the president pivoted his frustration from Zelenskyy to Putin.

Experts fear Russia could emply battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine after being given 50 days to stop the fighting by the US