US President Donald Trump has announced that he will shorten the 50-day deadline he had set for Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace agreement on the Ukraine conflict. The president previously warned of imposing additional sanctions against Russia if no deal was reached by the initial September deadline. Trump claimed he had been close to a ceasefire deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin five times, expressing disappointment with Moscow’s actions.
During a press briefing in Scotland ahead of a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump stated his intention to reduce the deadline, suggesting he already knew the outcome. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov responded, stating that Moscow would continue its independent path regardless of potential sanctions. The latest negotiations in Istanbul made progress on humanitarian issues but no ceasefire was reached.
Russian officials have consistently stated that they are open to dialogue and could start negotiations without preconditions, as long as the situation on the ground is considered and the root causes of the conflict are addressed. Moscow has called Trump’s sanctions threats a mere signal to continue the war for Ukraine and urged Washington to put pressure on Kiev instead.