President Donald Trump Taquined in shortening 50-day cease-fire deadline He gave Vladimir Putinwhose forces show no signs of softening their efforts to capture a logistics center in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Trump suggested on Friday that secondary sanctions against Russia could be imposed earlier than the seven-week deadline he announced this month, which was criticized by some as giving Putin too much latitude to continue his summer offensive.
When asked on Friday if the United States could impose secondary sanctions on Russia before the 50-day deadline, Trump replied: “Perhaps”.
Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine, said Nowsweek This Putin tries to win as much territory as possible before the deadline. Other analysts have said that neither Russia nor the financial markets are concerned about the Trump calendar.
Nowsweek contacted the Kremlin to comment.
Why it matters
Trump said on July 14 that if Putin refused to end the war within 50 days, or by September 2, Russia would be “serious” secondary prices This could affect income supporting his war machine, in particular with regard to oil exports to India and China.
But since these comments, Russia has not given up in its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine, and it has not stopped its push on the battlefield, raising questions that Trump gave Putin a seven -week window to continue the summer offensive.
What to know
During a White House meeting with NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, in mid-July, Trump expressed his misfortune with Moscow and warned of 100% prices on countries with Russia if no agreement has been concluded in 50 days.
The American president also announced that Ukraine would obtain more more patriotic air defense missiles and other weapons paid by NATO Allies in Europe, in what looked like its most difficult position against Putin.
But since this announcement, Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities and its battlefield push have continued tirelessly.
The Institute for the Study of War (Isw) said on Friday that the Russian forces had probably captured Novokonomiche, northeast of Pokrovsk in efforts to wrap the logistics center of the Donetsk region which could allow it to push more west towards Dnipro.
The reflection group said that Russian forces also advanced and northwest of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region – also in order to wrap the city and complicate Ukraine’s ability to ensure positions.
Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, who helps communities caught up the first line of war, said Nowsweek This Putin tries to win as many territory as possible before the deadline of Trump.
The Russian president is currently focusing on the occupation of part of the Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions that via the false referendums he can claim later should be part of Russia, he said.
Boyechko predicted that the next few weeks will be very difficult for Ukraine because Putin will use everything he can make earnings before September. “The Russians attack the objectives of civilians with intensity that we have not seen since the start of the war,” he said.
The American vice -admiral Robert Murrett said that since Trump’s announcement, there has been little evidence that Putin and Kremlin had changed their maximalist requests – for Ukrainian territory, disarmament and a lack of security guarantees.
But neither Russia nor the financial markets seemed too concerned about the 50 -day calendar for additional American sanctions, said Murrett, deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and the law of the University of Syracuse, said Nowsweek.
Although the United States announces additional weapons to Ukraine mainly via European allies, the Kremlin is still convinced that the conditions on the ground work in their favor and are not interested in a ceasefire, regardless of Kyiv’s desire for this, added Murrett.
President Donald Trump arrives at Glasgow Prestwick airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland.
Andrew Harnik
A third round of Ukrainian-Russia peace talks held in Istanbul on July 23, again saw Moscow rejecting a full ceasefire. Ukraine proposed a summit between the president Volodymyr Zelensky And Putin before the end of August that the Kremlin has not yet accepted.
Aurélien Colson, academic co -director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics and Business, said Nowsweek That Trump had given Putin a green light to continue the war in Ukraine for 50 more days.
Trump has already threatened Russia with sanctions or prices if Putin does not end the Ukraine War. “Putin ignored it every time, and Trump did nothing in response, every time. There is a model here, and he will repeat himself,” added Colsen.
Pushan Dutt, The professor of economics and political science at INSEAD, said that Trump’s previous promises to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, “these deadlines are not only fungible but also very unreliable.”
However, even if Russia has a concerted effort, success is hardly guaranteed given the small gains made since January 2024 at a high cost in troops and equipment.
This image taken on June 19, 2025 of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, shows burned cars while civilians are evacuated from the city by the Ukrainian forces.
Kostiiantyn Liberov / Getty images
What people say
Yuriy Boychehko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine: “Unfortunately, Putin has obtained a 50-day pass to kill as many people as possible and do whatever he wants in Ukraine. He is happy to use this 50-day pass to inflict as much pain as possible on the Ukrainian people.”
Aurélien Colson, academic co -director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics and Business: “Trump gave Putin the green light to continue to wage the war in Ukraine for 50 more days. It will take more pressure against Putin and more support for Ukraine to end this war. “”
What happens next
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that an Zelensky-Putin summit would take place within 30 days. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with both Trump and Putin to summon them for talks in Turkey, although the eyes are on Trump to find out if he shortens the 50 -day deadline.