If there is one thing that Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated ever since initiating a major invasion of Ukraine, it is that he is absolutely resistant to agreeing to any true ceasefire.
And President Donald Trump has responded with increased irritation, to put it mildly.
Trump has valiantly, if periodically, tried to broker a deal during the first several months of his administration.
At times, he has appeared to vacillate in pinpointing blame for the war, though he now appears largely convinced that Putin is the primary problem.
Which means that Trump seems to have moved away from his previous commentary, including assertions that Russia and Ukraine may just need to “fight it out.”
The meeting held between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further amplified this seemingly mixed approach.
Most recently, however, Trump has turned his full attention on Russia, issuing a rather explicit 50-day deadline for the tyrannical Putin to cease his hostilities.
“I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10, 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump asserted.
Such a shortened deadline was certainly music to the ears of many in Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak, who serves as chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, promptly expressed praise for Trump’s decision.
“Thanks to [President Trump] for standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength. [Trump] has already said he’s shortening the timeline he gave Putin, because he believes the answer is obvious. Putin respects only power – and that message is loud and clear,” Yermak declared on X.
Even CNN admitted that Ukraine may now see a “glimmer of hope” following Trump’s dramatic shortening of the original ceasefire deadline.
However, Putin has unfortunately responded to Trump’s new deadline with even greater aggression.
The Russian dictator promptly struck Ukraine with fresh strikes following Trump’s ultimatum, killing several civilians, one of whom included a 23-year-old pregnant woman.
That said, if Putin continues to pummel Ukraine as mercilessly and relentlessly as he is doing so now, Trump may well pull the same move that he did mere weeks ago with Iran.
Back then, Trump had also issued a rather sharp warning – and specific deadline – to the Iranian regime. However, the president ended up striking Iran much sooner than he announced, and he may well opt for doing so yet again with Russia.
That said, Russia might respond very differently than Iran, considering that Iran did relatively little in response – at least for now.
In any event, it will be critically important to keep a close eye on major developments on the geopolitical front in the coming days, especially when accounting for what Trump will or will not due amid ongoing Russian defiance.
Author: Jane Jones
