Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now serving as vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, commented on President Donald Trump’s latest deadline for Russia to end its conflict with Ukraine. He described it as an additional “step into war.” Medvedev suggested that Trump’s ultimatum—requiring an agreement within the next 10 to 12 days—could backfire for the United States.
Medvedev elaborated, saying, “Trump is playing an ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… he should remember two things: 1. Russia is not Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat, a step towards war. Don’t go down the sleepy Joe road!”
On July 14, Trump announced he would impose “serious tariffs” on Russia if a peace deal was not reached in 50 days, but later stated it was pointless to wait that long given the stalled negotiations. “From today, we plan to have a new deadline from around 10-12,” he told reporters in Scotland. “There’s no reason to wait. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but I don’t think progress is being made.”
His comments came amid increased frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly after Russia launched over 300 drones and several missiles into Ukraine. Trump expressed disappointment, noting he felt that discussions with Putin led to no real action to de-escalate the war. “He talks—we have such a lovely conversation, a very good respect and a lovely conversation, and then people die the next night,” he remarked.
Ukrainian President Voldime Zelensky expressed gratitude toward Trump, thanking him for articulating a clear stance on resolving the conflict. “We are thankful that President Trump has focused on saving lives and stopping this horrible war. Ukraine is committed to peace, and we will work tirelessly with the United States to create a safer and more prosperous future,” he noted in a post.
Previously, Zelensky faced criticism from Vice President JD Vance for not sufficiently recognizing U.S. support in the war against Russia. Despite trumpeting his past relationship with Putin, Trump has shown growing frustration over recent weeks as the conflict escalated.
“We get a lot of bulls—thrown at us with Putin. If you want to know the truth,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.
