The relationship between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken a sharp turn for the worse. The ongoing war in Ukraine has changed everything between the two leaders who appeared to get along well during Trump’s first time in office.
According to Fox News, Trump has now set a deadline that ends Friday for Russia to show it wants peace talks. He first gave Russia 50 days to agree to a peace deal, but then cut that time down to just 10-12 days. The shortened timeline has made tensions between the two countries much worse. This pattern of shifting deadlines has become a familiar strategy, as Trump continues to give Putin additional chances before his self-imposed ultimatums.
During a Cabinet meeting in July, Trump showed his frustration with Putin in clear terms. “We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” This marked a big change from how Trump used to talk about the Russian leader.
Trump considers new sanctions as Putin deadline approaches
The president has threatened to put “severe tariffs” on Russia if Moscow does not agree to peace talks. Trump said he is fed up with Putin and is looking at putting new sanctions on Russia. The White House has not said what might happen if Russia misses Friday’s deadline.
John Hardie from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said Russia began to anger Trump back in March. Ukraine had agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia would not join in. “Really, since then, I think Trump has come to view the Russians as the main impediment to a deal,” Hardie told Fox News Digital.
Trump says he is also bothered by the fact that Russia keeps attacking Ukraine with drones and missiles, even after he talks directly with Putin.
Trump: "We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time but it turns out to be meaningless." pic.twitter.com/iHnwUVjVlY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 8, 2025
The situation got more serious when former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.” Trump responded by ordering two U.S. Navy submarines to move to the right areas. “I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump said on August 1.
Bryan Clark, a former submarine officer, said this move was unusual. The U.S. rarely uses submarines to try to change how other countries act, especially against a nuclear power like Russia. Clark thinks Trump is trying to push back against Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.
There may still be hope for talks. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin on Wednesday. Trump said on Truth Social that “great progress” was made during the meeting. Trump and Putin are expected to meet face-to-face soon to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, critics worry that Trump’s approach may favor Russian interests, as previous diplomatic efforts have been seen as accommodating Putin’s position.
Some experts are not sure the meeting will work. Hardie said he does not expect much from a summit between the two leaders. He thinks Putin might try to use the meeting to buy more time to keep attacking Ukraine while trying to get Trump to support harsh terms against Ukraine.
Russia wants several things in any peace deal. They want to stop Ukraine from joining NATO, prevent foreign peacekeepers from coming to Ukraine after the war ends, and change some of Ukraine’s borders. It is not clear if Trump will accept these demands.
The White House said Trump wants to meet with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war. “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to this meeting,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She added that Trump wants the brutal war to end and the White House is working on the details of possible meetings.
As the Friday deadline approaches, Trump made it clear that the next move is up to Putin. “It’s going to be up to him,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “We’re going to see what he has to say. It’s going to be up to him. Very disappointed.” The world now waits to see if Putin will respond to Trump’s ultimatum or if new sanctions will follow.
