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.

On 14 July, US President Donald Trump confirmed the conclusion of a new agreement with NATO that provides for the delivery of a powerful military aid package worth billions of dollars to Ukraine, UkrInform reports. 

According to the American leader, some of these systems would arrive within days. Countries that currently possess Patriot systems have agreed to send them to Ukraine in exchange for new US deliveries. Trump said the systems have a full set of batteries intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defense.

He emphasized that the weapons would be financed by NATO allies, not American taxpayers. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, for his part, reiterated that Ukraine seeks peace.

During his meeting with President Trump at the White House, he said it is vital to provide Ukraine with everything necessary to defend itself from Russia. He called the decision for Europeans to pay for Ukraine’s aid entirely logical.

Rutte added that the agreement is the result of the Alliance summit in The Hague, where NATO members committed to gradually increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, continuing to support Ukraine, and expanding defense production.

He noted that NATO would now assess what Ukraine specifically needs so that the alliance can properly structure military aid packages. Ukraine will gain access to a wide array of weapons, including missile defense systems and ammunition.

In his view, the US president’s decision will allow weapons to reach Ukraine at an accelerated pace.

At the same time, Rutte remarked that in light of the latest news from Washington, if he were in Russian ruler Vladimir Putin’s place, he would reconsider his approach to negotiations with Ukraine.

The new agreement is the result of a series of talks following Trump’s disappointment over Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire. He also threatened Russia with tough secondary tariffs if negotiations fail within 50 days.