US President Donald Trump has shortened the ultimatum he gave to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. The ruler of the Oval Office declared on July 14 that Russia has 50 days to end the war in Ukraine. Otherwise, sanctions and up to 100 percent tariffs await it. Kiev thanked Trump, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the head of the White House is playing an ultimatum game with Russia.

Today, Trump said in a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Moscow may not even get 50 days.

Change of position

"I've talked to President Putin a lot, we've gotten along very well, but he goes out and starts launching missiles at some city like Kiev and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or somewhere else and there are bodies all over the street," Trump said, according to the British BBC.

The US president acknowledged that he is very disappointed with Putin and that he will pressure the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire agreement more quickly.

"I'm going to cut short the 50 days that I gave him because I think I already know the answer to what's going to happen," Trump explained.

When reporters repeatedly asked him how much time Putin had, the White House chief said 10 to 12 days."There's no reason to wait... we're just not seeing any progress," he added. He also said he would confirm the new deadline today or Tuesday. According to Reuters, Trump also mentioned imposing secondary sanctions if Moscow does not conclude a peace agreement.

After Trump's first statement today, Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak thanked the American president for his"firm stance and clear message of peace through strength." "Putin only respects power," he wrote on the X network.

Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on the X network that Trump is playing an ultimatum game with Russia."He should remember two things. 1. Russia is not Israel or Iran. 2. Every new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (his) own country," wrote Medvedev, who has been known for his harsh words towards the West and radical statements in recent years.

The US president has been unsuccessfully trying to end Russia's nearly three-and-a-half-year-long invasion of Ukraine. The warring countries have recently held direct talks, but have not agreed on anything beyond the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of dead soldiers. Before taking office, Trump claimed that he would end the conflict in Ukraine within a day.

But his growing frustration with the Kremlin's approach to negotiations was recently expressed when he threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Russia if an agreement to end the war with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days. Secondary sanctions, according to the White House, will then fall on countries that buy oil from Russia.

Trump has previously spoken of two-week ultimatums. Since taking office on January 20, the president has not supplied Kiev with new weapons and has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia; only the old ones have remained in effect.

The White House chief's stance has only recently begun to change. Kiev and Moscow have recently been holding direct negotiations, but apart from the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of dead soldiers, they have not agreed on anything.

Ultimatum and weapons purchase

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke about Trump losing patience with Russia in an interview with Fox News. According to him, the president does not like the fact that there has been no progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

"He's losing patience. He's losing the willingness to keep waiting for Russia to do something," Rubio said, referring to the ongoing communications between Trump and Putin that have yet to yield concrete results.

Rubio stressed that Trump does not think it is his war, but ending it is a priority for the US government."The president cannot be dragged into endless talks about talks," the head of diplomacy stressed. Rubio said that the occupiers have suffered heavy losses since the beginning of the year, with an estimated 100,000 Russian soldiers killed. The minister described the war as a conflict accompanied by huge losses of life and destruction, while Moscow is deliberately dragging out negotiations.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has previously warned that Trump is ready to impose tough restrictions on countries that continue to buy Russian oil from Moscow - including China, India and Brazil. The proposed sanctions bill could mean that Russian energy buyers could face tariffs of up to 500 percent. That would force them to choose between trading with Moscow and access to the US market."Trump is fed up with this game," Graham said, urging Putin to return to negotiations.

In addition to the ultimatum to Russia, European allies would have to buy weapons from the US, which would then be delivered to Kiev. Although several countries have said they want to participate in the scheme, it is not entirely clear how it will work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had already secured the delivery of three batteries of Patriot air defense systems, but wanted to negotiate another seven.

The US president has hardened his stance towards Russia at a time when the occupiers have managed to achieve several tactical successes on the front and are putting pressure on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. On the other hand, Ukrainian defenders have managed to liberate the village of Kindrativka in the Sumy region.

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