On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would reduce the 50-day ultimatum he previously set for Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine, voicing his frustration over Moscow’s slow progress in ending the conflict.
“I’m very disappointed in President Putin. Extremely disappointed. Therefore, I’ll be shortening the 50-day timeframe I provided him, reducing it to a smaller number,” Trump stated during a media event while hosting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort in western Scotland.
Trump’s comments followed a day after Russian and Ukrainian officials engaged in a third round of in-person negotiations in Istanbul since talks resumed in May. Expectations were low going into the meeting, which lasted only 40 minutes and concluded with minimal progress.
The delegations, led by Ukraine’s former defence minister Rustem Umerov and senior Russian aide Vladimir Medinsky, reached an agreement on another prisoner exchange and established three virtual working groups to address political, military, and humanitarian issues.
Previously, Trump had issued a strong warning to Moscow: achieve a ceasefire with Kyiv within 50 days or face 100% tariffs on Russian imports. He also approved the transfer of U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to strengthen its defenses against Russian airstrikes.
In response to Trump’s ultimatum, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Russia was still open to dialogue but reiterated Moscow’s fundamental demands. The Kremlin maintains that any peace deal must involve Ukraine’s withdrawal from four regions that Russia illegally annexed in 2022, areas that Moscow has not completely taken control of.
