Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Newsmax on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is afraid of the U.S., given his tendency to halt bombing Kyiv during visits by special envoy Keith Kellogg and other Americans.

Kellogg, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, arrived in Kyiv on Monday on the heels of an announcement by President Donald Trump that the U.S. would rearm Ukraine with missiles and other weaponry, including a Patriot air defense system, and warned of “very severe tariffs” if Russia did not end the war in 50 days.

Russia on Tuesday reportedly rejected Trump’s ultimatum on his 50-day deadline, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov saying that “any attempts to make demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us.”

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