WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump, increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts in Ukraine, has signaled a significant shift in his approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Washington officials and expert analysis.
What began as a 50-day ultimatum for an end to the conflict has now been drastically shortened, reflecting a growing impatience from the White House.
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On Monday, speaking from his luxury golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, after meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump announced a new, more aggressive timeline for Putin to halt the war in Ukraine.
“I’m disappointed in President Putin,” Trump told reporters. “I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason in waiting, we just don’t see any progress being made.”
This latest pronouncement comes just two weeks after Trump initially set a 50-day deadline earlier this month, threatening new sanctions on Russia and its export buyers if a peace deal wasn’t reached.
His rationale then, as now, was a perceived lack of commitment from Putin to serious negotiations.
“I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump had said ahead of his meeting with Starmer. “I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed at him… and I’m gonna reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number, because I think I already know the answer.”The urgency from the White House appears to be mounting, and experts are taking note.
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Shelby Magid, Deputy Director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, offered a pointed assessment to Kyiv Post, stating, “President Trump’s patience with Putin is wearing thin as his frustration and disappointment continue to grow, and rightfully so.”
Magid further elaborated on the implications of Trump’s escalating rhetoric: “His newly shortened deadline and recent comments suggest he is beginning to realize that Putin has no intention of negotiating seriously without increased pressure from the White House.”
Magid also highlighted the delicate balance Trump must maintain: “Although Trump could once again revise the timeline, growing calls from key figures like Senator [Lindsey] Graham, who warns of impending economic consequences for Russia, China, India, and Brazil, make it increasingly likely that Trump will soon need to move something forward to show there is real strength behind his threats or he risks looking weak himself.”
Senator Graham (R-SC) echoed these sentiments on the social media platform X Monday afternoon, expressing his “complete understanding” of President Trump’s frustration with Russia’s “continued attacks on Ukraine, which indicates no real desire to come to the peace table.”
Graham asserted that “Putin has seriously miscalculated President Trump,” and voiced hope that nations “like China, India and Brazil — who prop up Putin’s war machine —are about to pay a long overdue price.”
He concluded by affirming Congress’s bipartisan readiness to support President Trump in his peace efforts.Despite the renewed tough talk, questions remain about Trump’s past follow-through on threats against the Russian president.
The accelerated timeline comes amidst continued Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, even as talks in Istanbul last week only yielded progress on prisoner-of-war exchanges.
Ukraine, for its part, has reportedly praised Trump’s decision to shorten the deadline, suggesting a hope that this heightened pressure could finally lead to a meaningful de-escalation of the conflict.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump had initially vowed to end the conflict “overnight”, though without disclosing specifics.
His current stance, however, marks a more public and seemingly more urgent push for a resolution, with the international community closely watching to see if his latest “10 or 12 days” ultimatum will indeed compel a change in Moscow’s strategy.
