‘I’m Not So Interested In Talking Anymore’: Trump Announces Shortened Deadline for Russia to Agree to Ceasefire in Ukraine

Latest Developments

• Trump Frustrated With Putin: President Donald Trump announced a new deadline of 10 to 12 days from July 28 for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face economic punishment. “I’m not so interested in talking anymore,” Trump said, expressing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He talks, we have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations, and then people die the following night … with a missile going into a town and hitting,” Trump said. Trump originally gave Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to end hostilities or face sanctions on its oil exports.
• Russia Demands Concessions From Ukraine: Moscow has demanded major concessions from Ukraine as conditions for a peace settlement, including Ukraine’s demilitarization, its withdrawal from frontline regions, legal protections for Russian influence, and Ukraine abandoning its ambition to join NATO. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had “taken note” of Trump’s statements but will nevertheless continue the war. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, threatened war with the United States, warning Trump, “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.”
• Russian Drone Strike Kills At Least 27: Russia launched missile, drone, and glide-bomb barrages following Trump’s statements, reportedly killing at least 27 people. According to Ukraine’s Justice Ministry, at least four glide bombs hit a prison in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 16 inmates and wounding more than 90. In the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, a Russian missile partially destroyed a three-story building and damaged nearby medical facilities, killing three people —including a pregnant 23-year-old woman — while two other people died in strikes elsewhere.

FDD Expert Response

“President Trump’s disappointment in Putin is amply justified. Putin seeks conquest, not a ceasefire, and certainly not peace. To alter Putin’s calculations will require maximum economic pressure coupled with the provision of both defensive weapons to intercept and destroy incoming threats and long-range missiles. President Trump — unlike President Biden — should allow the Ukrainians to use those missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russia. Moscow’s defiant response to Trump’s efforts to arrange a ceasefire only demonstrates the necessity of these measures.” — Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“The Kremlin has made clear it has no intention of meeting President Trump’s deadline. Putin will continue his unprovoked war so long as he believes it is sustainable and offers a path for him to achieve his goal of subjugating Ukraine. Trump is right — now is the time for action, not more fruitless talks. To bolster their leverage to achieve peace, Washington and its allies must ramp up economic pressure on Russia while providing Ukrainian forces with the support they need to withstand Moscow’s onslaught and exhaust the Russian military’s offensive potential.” — John Hardie, Russia Program Deputy Director

“President Trump is tired of playing Putin’s games. He is accelerating his deadline to show that Putin can’t keep ‘tapping him along.’ If the Kremlin makes the mistake of ignoring Trump, it may learn the same hard lesson as the clerics in Tehran: Trump doesn’t bluff when the chips are down.” — Peter Doran, Adjunct Senior Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“Trump’s Russia Sanctions Toolkit: Options to Increase Leverage to End Putin’s War Against Ukraine,” by Max Meizlish and John Hardie

“How Trump can stop killings in Ukraine and score a win for the US — and himself,” by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and John Hardie

“Trump Shouldn’t Fall for Russia’s Nuclear Bluster,” by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Ivana Stradner

“The perils of peacemaking,” by Clifford D. May

“Can the U.S. Arm Itself and Ukraine?” by Ryan Brobst, Cameron McMillan, and Bradley Bowman