Russian Officials Shrug Off Trump’s Ultimatum on Ukraine as Diplomatic Maneuvering Continues

Russian officials and state media have seemingly brushed off Donald Trump’s warning about imposing significant economic sanctions on Russia unless it concludes its conflict in Ukraine within 50 days, although President Vladimir Putin has not yet publicly addressed the comment.

During a briefing in the Oval Office on Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the U.S. president stated that the U.S. would enforce “very hefty tariffs, potentially around 100%,” if no agreement is reached in the specified timeframe, expressing his dissatisfaction with Putin’s lack of initiative towards achieving peace.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed journalists on Tuesday that “the U.S. president’s pronouncement is indeed serious.”

“We will need time to assess the implications of what was stated in Washington, and President Putin will respond if he feels it is necessary,” Peskov noted.

“It is evident that decisions made in Washington, within NATO states, and directly from Brussels are not perceived by Ukraine as signals for peace, but rather as an indication to maintain the conflict,” Peskov reiterated, emphasizing that Russia remains “prepared” for peace discussions.

Responding to Trump’s comments, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed that Moscow favors diplomatic solutions over conflict, but remarked that “any demands presented, particularly in the form of ultimatums, are unacceptable to us.”

Former President Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Trump’s threats in a post on X, deriding it as a “theatrical ultimatum directed at the Kremlin.”

“The world held its breath, anticipating the repercussions. Europe, eager for conflict, was let down. Russia remained unfazed,” Medvedev stated.

Russian Security Council Secretary and ex-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also weighed in on Trump’s announcement regarding the provision of weapons to Kyiv funded by European allies.

Shoigu noted, “This approach has long been advocated by Donald Trump, who consistently claimed during his election campaign that ‘this is not his war’ and urged Europe to take more financial accountability for its security.”

Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the lower-house State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, commented that Trump is attempting to balance the «war party» in the West with more moderate factions without entering into direct conflict with the Kremlin.

“If Trump genuinely seeks progress toward a settlement in Ukraine, he should confront the Zelensky regime directly instead of making threats of secondary sanctions against Russia. The Russian leadership has repeatedly indicated its willingness to resolve the conflict, and all of Moscow’s proposals remain open for negotiation,” Slutsky mentioned.

Senator Natalia Nikonorova, a member of the upper-house Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, remarked that Trump is “maneuvering.”

“By using ambiguous language regarding both timing and meaning, he is providing himself with various potential escape routes for the future. The world has yet to witness any significant actions from him despite earlier media announcements,” she noted.

Certain Russian state media outlets provided measured coverage of Trump’s threats in their broadcasts.

On Tuesday’s morning news at 9 a.m., state-run Channel One did not include Trump’s tariff threats in its summary of leading stories, focusing instead on the additional U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine also mentioned by Trump on Monday.

On the state broadcaster Rossia 24, Deputy Federation Council Speaker Konstantin Kosachev offered a mixed evaluation of Trump’s statements, suggesting they “could have turned out to be considerably worse—or better.”

He observed that while the U.S. president did not disclose plans to provide offensive weapons to Kyiv, he also did not indicate any desire to encourage Ukraine towards negotiations.

According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, China’s share in Russia’s trade last year was approximately 34%, with India, Turkey, and Belarus trailing far behind as secondary partners.

Trump and Rutte also announced a deal for NATO to procure billions of dollars’ worth of arms from the United States, including Patriot missile defense systems, to be sent to Ukraine.

Reporting contributed by AFP.