US President Donald Trump, frustrated by fruitless “pleasant talks” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine, has issued an ultimatum to Moscow. The Kremlin responded by saying that Russia doesn’t care.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has openly mocked Trump’s statements, saying the Kremlin is indifferent to Washington’s new threats. According to him, Trump’s threats are theatrical in nature, and Europe had expected more.

“Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care,” Medvedev wrote on X. 

On 14 July, the American president also said that the new tariffs would target Kremlin allies, though he did not specify which countries he meant. Notably, China is the largest sponsor of Russia’s war in Ukraine, while North Korea supplies over half of Russia’s ammunition and military personnel in exchange for technology.

Trump also did not clarify what would happen if Russia refuses to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine. Meanwhile, the 50-day deadline coincides with the timeframe reportedly shared by Putin during a recent conversation, in which he stated that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days. This effectively gives Putin 1,5 months to continue killing Ukrainian civilians.

Putin reportedly told Trump during their 3 July conversation that Russia intended to continue offensive operations until it secured the full administrative borders of the occupied Ukrainian oblasts.

Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. Moscow illegally declared the annexation of all four regions after sham referendums, despite not fully controlling any of them. At present, Russia has fully occupied only Crimea.

US President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin following revelations that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days.

“I am very disappointed with President Putin. I thought he was a man of his word, but he is bombing everyone,” Trump told journalists at Andrews Air Force Base.

The statement comes after Putin reportedly informed Trump during their 3 July conversation that Russia intended to continue offensive operations until it secured the full administrative borders of occupied Ukrainian oblasts.

“He wants to take all of it,” Trump reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron after the call, according to Axios sources familiar with the discussion.

Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Moscow illegally declared the annexation of the four oblasts following sham referenda in late 2022.

The revelation coincides with intensified Russian assaults in Donetsk Oblast and attempts to breach neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a region that has avoided significant incursions during the full-scale war.

Trump’s criticism of Putin marked a shift in tone, with the US president expressing doubt about whether the Russian leader “seeks peace” and saying Putin speaks “a lot of nonsense.”

Despite Moscow and Kyiv holding two rounds of face-to-face talks in Istanbul this year on 16 May and 2 June – the first direct negotiations in more than three years – the meetings led only to prisoner exchanges without progress toward a ceasefire. Russia continues pushing maximalist demands in negotiations.

When asked about potential sanctions against Russia, Trump responded: “We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” speaking on Sunday.

In response to the escalating situation, Trump announced plans to send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, stating they are necessary because Putin “speaks well, but then bombs everyone in the evening.”

The president is expected to announce a new weapons package for Ukraine on 14 July, which sources suggest will include offensive weapons, likely long-range missiles capable of reaching targets deep inside Russian territory.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said “Trump is very angry at Putin” and expects record weapons deliveries to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression in the coming days.