A 50-day deadline was set by President Donald Trump for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deadline demands an end to the war in Ukraine or else face 100% tariffs. It has been met with doubt and rejection from various world leaders, including a high-ranking Russian official.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council and a former Russian President, quickly responded to the announcement made by Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He posted on X to state the Kremlin’s position: “Trump gave a dramatic ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world held its breath, waiting for what would happen. Aggressive Europe was let down. Russia didn’t care.”
The response from European Union officials and Ukrainian leaders has been divided according to Fox, with many doubting whether the deadline would work and whether it was too long. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said it was good that Trump was taking a tougher position on Russia, but she also worried that “50 days is a very long time if we see that innocent civilians are being killed every day.” She stressed that Russia needs more pressure and said she hopes the U.S. will keep sending military aid, just like Europe is doing.
Russia is not the least bit intimidated by Trump’s deadline
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko shared these worries, “I’m glad for the support from the U.S. But at the same time, I don’t understand why Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is being given 50 days. In 50 days, many more people could die in the capital, and across Ukraine, many more buildings could be destroyed. So why wait so long?”
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who stood next to Trump during the announcement, called the move “reasonable.” He said that European allies would cover the cost of American weapons sent to Ukraine through NATO, with the goal of getting “huge amounts of military equipment” to Kyiv.
Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin.
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 15, 2025
The world shuddered, expecting the consequences.
Belligerent Europe was disappointed.
Russia didn’t care.
Trump himself said he was upset with Putin’s actions, stating that he was “very, very unhappy” with the Russian leader. He mentioned several times when he thought a deal had been made, only for attacks on Ukrainian cities to keep happening. “Talk doesn’t mean anything,” he had said about the Russian president.
This isn’t the first time Trump was dumped by a political buddy and overlooked. We’ll have to wait and see what Trump eventually does, but 50 days is a long time. It is hard to imagine that Russia will do nothing, but anything could happen within that time.
