U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a warning to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, urging him to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine within 10 to 12 days.
Two weeks ago, after meeting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump had given Putin a 50-day deadline to halt the war. However, during his current visit to Scotland, Trump shortened that timeline on Monday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said there was no reason to wait any longer.
“I want to be generous. But we’ve seen no progress,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration in recent weeks, saying Putin has disappointed him. He warned that if a ceasefire is not achieved within the given timeframe, he would impose heavy tariffs on countries like China and India that continue to buy Russian oil.
U.S. officials are also pressuring China during ongoing trade talks, urging it not to sell raw materials to Russia that could be used for both military and civilian purposes.
At Ukraine’s request, talks were held between Russia and Ukraine last week in Istanbul, Turkey. However, beyond a prisoner exchange agreement, little progress was made. Ukraine proposed a meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, but Russia declined, insisting the two leaders should only meet to sign a final agreement.
Similarly, during two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul in June, no significant progress was made toward a ceasefire. Instead, both sides agreed to large-scale prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers’ bodies.
U.S. President Donald Trump, frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently announced a new plan to provide military assistance to Ukraine, including offensive weapons — a shift in strategy highlighted by Western media.
Despite having close ties with Putin, Trump had, since the start of his second term, pressured Ukraine to agree to a peace deal on Russia’s terms. He had previously halted the transfer of weapons approved by former President Joe Biden and also temporarily stopped the sharing of U.S. intelligence with Ukraine.
However, with Putin showing no intention of ending the war, Trump appears to have shifted his stance toward both Russia and Ukraine. Although he had earlier said Ukraine would only receive defensive weapons, reports now suggest that offensive weapons are also being supplied under the new plan.
U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials believe these weapons could significantly alter the course of the war and increase pressure on Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
The United States, under Trump’s leadership, is currently mediating between Russia and Ukraine to push for a ceasefire. Trump has been pressing both countries publicly and privately to end the war. A 30-day temporary ceasefire proposal by the U.S. was readily accepted by Ukraine, but Russia rejected it.
Putin has laid out several demands: Ukraine must not join NATO, must reduce its military forces, and must not only surrender territories currently under Russian occupation but also give up claims to areas not yet controlled by Russia.
After a phone call between Trump and Putin on May 19, there was hope for progress, but the two-hour conversation did not lead to any breakthrough. Following this, Trump stepped back from his earlier demand that Russia announce an immediate ceasefire.
Instead of de-escalating, Putin intensified military operations in Ukraine, prompting Trump to issue sharper remarks against him. Trump is now reportedly considering new sanctions on Russia, accusing Putin of stalling negotiations while pretending to seek peace.
If Russia continues to show a lack of seriousness, Trump is expected to take tougher actions. In early June, following Ukraine’s successful drone strikes on multiple Russian bombers, peace talks resumed in Turkey, but no major breakthroughs were achieved.
During a one-hour meeting, Russia officially presented its conditions, including a demand for Ukraine to surrender additional territory and reduce the size of its military in order to end the war.
Russia has insisted it seeks a long-term solution rather than a temporary ceasefire, while Ukraine accuses Putin of having no interest in peace.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, one of Russia’s conditions is international recognition of the Crimean Peninsula — annexed in 2014 — as Russian territory, along with four other regions of Ukraine, not all of which are fully under Russian control. Russia also demands Ukrainian forces withdraw from those regions.
Other Russian conditions include Ukraine remaining a neutral country with no NATO membership, legal protections for Russian speakers, recognition of Russian as an official language, and an end to what it calls “Nazification” — accusations Ukraine and the wider world dismiss as absurd.
On the other hand, Ukraine is demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and sea, monitored by the United States. It also insists on the release of all prisoners, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and a face-to-face meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin.
Ukraine is also asking for security guarantees to ensure Russia does not resume its attacks. It firmly rejects Russia’s territorial claims and opposes any limits on its own military power. Ukraine demands that sanctions imposed by the West on Russia not be lifted until a full agreement is reached — and that if Russia violates it, sanctions must be reinstated. Additionally, Ukraine wants seized Russian assets to be used for its post-war reconstruction.
