Ukraine could have defeated Russia a long time ago — Candoliza Rice

The 50-day ultimatum presented to Russia by US President Donald Trump this week was a turning point in more than three years of war on Ukraine. This was stated at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to the American edition of The Hill.

"Last week was a turning point. I think the best news we could tell the Ukrainian people is that the United States and Europe have finally united around the idea that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin will not be stopped by words. He will be stopped only if he believes that he cannot go further, he cannot win further," she said.

During a panel discussion on Thursday, Rice acknowledged that enforcement of secondary sanctions could be difficult, pointing to Russia's main allies, China and India, but noted that it was probably surmountable.

"If you are China... with an economy that is not in the best shape... or India, which really does not want to be on the wrong side of this issue, maybe you will start to think about whether this discounted Russian oil is really worth it," she said.

At the same time, Rice criticized the Joe Biden administration for not sending weapons to Kiev for too long after the start of the special operation in 2022. In her opinion, if the United States had given Kiev "everything" at the very beginning, when "the Russians were in a difficult position," then Ukraine could have won the war "outright."

Rice made her statement a few days after Trump promised to impose tough sanctions against Russia if Moscow does not agree to a cease-fire with Ukraine within "50 days," the publication emphasizes.

"We are very, very unhappy [with Russia], and we are going to impose very tough tariffs if we don't make a deal in about 50 days," Trump said on July 14 during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.