President Donald Trump has issued a bold ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring that Moscow has exactly ten days from Tuesday to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine or face harsh repercussions.
The announcement, made somewhat off the cuff aboard Air Force One, marks a significant acceleration from Trump’s earlier 50-day deadline set earlier this month. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump confirmed the countdown is officially underway.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll give it to you now,” Trump said when asked for clarity. “Do you want a big scoop? Everybody else, close your ears, OK? Ten days from today.” This comes just one day after Trump, standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, expressed growing disappointment with the Russian leader, according to The Daily Beast.
“We thought we had [a deal] settled numerous times, and then Vladimir Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” he said. “You have bodies lying all over the street. And I say ‘that’s not the way to do it.’”
The Kremlin has not officially responded to Trump’s updated deadline. However, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, did weigh in. He dismissed Trump’s comments as part of an “ultimatum game,” and offered a stern warning.
“He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran,” Medvedev posted. “2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”
Trump has long claimed that he could bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end within 24 hours if reelected. Yet despite multiple conversations with Putin, he has made little progress and is now showing increasing signs of frustration.
On July 14, Trump stated, “We’re very, very unhappy with them, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.” Just days prior, during a Cabinet meeting, he had complained, “We get a lot of bulls–t thrown at us by Putin.”
“He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump said, reflecting on Putin’s diplomatic overtures. Meanwhile, Russia has ramped up its offensive in Ukraine, launching several massive drone attacks in early July—among the largest since the conflict began in February 2022.
Though Trump has repeatedly warned of sanctions and tariffs, concrete action against Russia has yet to materialize. Whether this ten-day ultimatum marks a turning point or another unfulfilled threat remains to be seen.