President Trump says Zelenskyy should not target Moscow with strikes

 WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should not target Moscow militarily as he pushed Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire within 50 days to avoid steep U.S. tariffs and sanctions.

Trump's comments to reporters about Zelenskyy on July 15 came after The Financial Times reported earlier in the day that Trump privately encouraged the Ukrainian president in a July 4 call to escalate his country's attacks on Russia.

During that conversation, Trump asked Zelenskyy whether Ukraine could strike Moscow if the United States provided Ukraine with long-range weapons, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous sources briefed on the discussion.

“No, he shouldn’t target Moscow," Trump said July 15, when asked by a reporter whether Zelenskyy should attack Russia's capital city.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to confirm The Financial Times report in a statement to USA TODAY, but she said Trump's remarks had been taken out of context.

"President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war," Leavitt said.

Trump reaffirmed a new 50-day ultimatum for Putin to end the war with Ukraine as he took questions on the South Lawn of the White House before heading to Pittsburgh, where he touted private investments in artificial intelligence in Pennsylvania.

Growing increasingly frustrated by Putin's continued attacks on Ukraine, Trump on July 14 threatened to impose 100% "secondary tariffs" on Russia's trading partners if a ceasefire is not reached in that timeframe.

“At the end of 50 days, if we don’t have a deal, it’s going to be too bad," Trump said. "The tariffs are going to go on and other sanctions.”

Trump: US 'not looking' to give Ukraine long-range missiles

Trump also announced this week that the United States would send weapons to NATO to assist in Ukraine's war efforts. But the United States is not considering supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles, the president told reporters on July 15.

In a major shift in tone, Trump has begun criticizing Putin for continuing his military onslaught on Ukraine despite signaling an openness to peace privately in conversations with the president. Nonetheless, Trump told reporters he's not taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“I’m on nobody’s side," Trump said when asked whether he's on Ukraine's side now. "You know whose side I’m on? Humanity’s side. I want to stop the killing of thousands of people.”