Despite US President Donald Trump’s new ultimatum for Russia, giving it only ten days to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin confirmed that Russia has no intention to stop its aggression, UNIAN reports. 

“We took Trump’s statement about a shortened timeline for resolving the situation in Ukraine and his disinterest in contacts into account,” says Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, adding that Russia acts “in the interest of its own security.”

No talks, no meeting: Trump–Putin summit off the table

Peskov has also ruled out any upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump, while lamenting the stagnation in US–Russia relations.

“Russia would like to see more momentum, but that requires signals from both sides,” he says.

Peskov’s statement is not entirely truthful in light of Trump’s actions in 2025. The US president made a number of concessions to Russia on the path to peace.

• He pressured not only Moscow but also Kyiv and was considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia. 
• He delayed military aid to Ukraine, which limited Kyiv’s defensive capabilities.
• At the same time, Trump lifted Russia out of international isolation by having conversations with Russian authorities, including Putin, which did not happen under former President Joe Biden. 

Trump’s ultimatum: Ten days or sanctions

On 14 July, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries buying its oil unless Putin halts his attacks on Ukraine within 50 days. This could impact China, India, and Brazil, Russia’s main economic allies. 

As Trump threatens sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, India prepares to switch suppliers to avoid fallout

By 28 July, the US president had slashed its first deadline.

“I’m not so interested in talking [to Putin] any more. Every time I think it’s going to end, he kills people,” Trump claimed.

Washington speaks the language of deadlines, while Moscow responds with threats. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is suggesting that US President Donald Trump’s pressure could provoke a broader, direct confrontation with the US itself. 

His furious speech came after Trump issued a new ultimatum to the Kremlin — just 10 days to reach a peace agreement on Ukraine, not 50, as he announced before. Also, the US president said he was tired of receiving no results from any peace talks with Russia, which bring only more deaths in Ukraine. Thus, he does not want to continue negotiations with Moscow and will pay attention only to real actions from Russia. 

Medvedev, as usual, reacted with a series of angry threats on social network X.

“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things:
1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran.
2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” he wrote. 

However, it’s unclear whether Russia is now capable of really waging the war against the US. The Russian economy is declining, and during three and a half years, Moscow managed to occupy only 20% of Ukrainian territory. 

Medvedev also scornfully warned Trump, “Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road,” clearly mocking Joe Biden. The US cut off diplomatic ties with Russia during Biden’s presidency. Trump has abandoned the isolation policy against Moscow to end the war in Ukraine and Israel. However, that did not bring any strong results, as the hostilities have not ceased, and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not convince the Tehran leaders to stop attacking Jerusalem. 

Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Türkiye for the third time this year for peace talks. The negotiations, held behind closed doors in Istanbul, lasted less than an hour and centered on a possible ceasefire, large-scale prisoner exchanges, and the idea of a summit between the two countries’ presidents.

At the opening of the talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s role as mediator, calling for an end to what he described as a “bloody war.”

“Our goal is to end this bloody war as soon as possible,” said Fidan. “The ultimate objective is a ceasefire that paves the way to peace.”

Ukraine pushes for Presidential meeting and immediate ceasefire

Leading Ukraine’s delegation was Rustem Umerov, now Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. He proposed a face-to-face meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin by the end of August.

“If Russia agrees, it will show the world it’s ready for constructive dialogue,” Umerov said.

Kyiv also reiterated its demand for a full and unconditional ceasefire, including a complete halt to attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Umerov emphasized that this is a non-negotiable basis for diplomacy to succeed.

He also stressed that Ukraine had prioritized the humanitarian track, including the release of civilians and children held by Russia.

Russia signals movement on humanitarian issues, but not on core disputes

As in the previous two rounds, Russia was represented by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to President Putin. He confirmed that Moscow and Kyiv are finalizing a 250-for-250 prisoner exchange and preparing a second phase involving 1,200 individuals, including civilians.

“Russia has already returned over 7,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers,” Medinsky said. “Another 3,000 are ready for transfer.”

He also revealed that Russia is ready to exchange 30 detained Ukrainian soldiers for Russian civilians held in Ukraine.

Medinsky floated proposals for limited 24–48 hour ceasefires to allow the recovery of the dead and wounded. He also suggested the formation of three online working groups to maintain contact between rounds. Ukraine has agreed to consider the idea.

On more sensitive issues—like the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia—Medinsky claimed that many on Ukraine’s list “were never on Russian territory,” but confirmed that discussions would continue.

However, he acknowledged that Ukraine and Russia remain “far apart” on any settlement agreements.

Delegation makeup and negotiation priorities

The Ukrainian team included 14 high-ranking officials, such as:

• Serhiy Kyslytsia, First Deputy Foreign Minister
• Oleksandr Bevz, presidential advisor
• Yevhen Ostrianskyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff
• Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Intelligence
• Oleksandr Dyakov, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations

A source in the Ukrainian delegation told BBC Ukraine that Kyiv came focused on three main priorities:

1. The return of Ukrainian detainees, especially civilians and children
2. A long-term and complete ceasefire
3. A summit between Zelenskyy and Putin

“Our position is constructive. But peace depends on whether Russia abandons the language of ultimatums,” the source said.

Zelenskyy: “Ukraine never wanted this war”

Ahead of the talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate in good faith and expressed readiness to meet with Putin personally.

“Ukraine never wanted this war. Russia started it, and Russia must end it,” he said.

His office also confirmed that the Ukrainian delegation was acting under a classified directive approved by presidential decree, which defined the negotiating framework.

Global pressure and the “Trump ultimatum”

This round of talks came amid growing international pressure. Former US President Donald Trump recently issued a 50-day ultimatum to Russia to stop hostilities or face renewed sanctions. Trump also pledged additional arms for Ukraine, albeit largely via European partners.

Analysts say the timing is not accidental. According to BBC correspondent Elizaveta Fokht, both sides are eager to demonstrate flexibility to a US audience.

“This is a performance for a single, high-stakes viewer: Donald Trump,” Fokht noted. “Ukraine wants to show it’s willing to talk. Russia wants to show it isn’t sabotaging diplomacy.”

Realistic goals: Focus on humanitarian gains

While no agreement was reached on a ceasefire or summit date, both sides reaffirmed commitment to continue humanitarian exchanges—one of the few areas where tangible progress has been made since talks resumed in May and June.

Those earlier rounds led to the return of over 1,000 prisoners and multiple repatriations of fallen soldiers.

Despite the growing toll of war—including intensified Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks—channels for negotiation remain open.

Whether they lead to a breakthrough or not, a fourth round of talks is now expected in the near future.

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.