Deadline for Peace: Trump Orders Russia to Act by August 8 or Face New Sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that Russia must reach a peace agreement with Ukraine by August 8, or it will face new sanctions.

«That’s just ten days from now,» Trump informed reporters while on Air Force One, clarifying the new timeline he has set for ending the conflict in Ukraine.

While returning from the UK to Washington, Trump criticized President Vladimir Putin earlier on Monday for engaging in what he termed “pleasant and respectful discussions” while simultaneously conducting missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. He announced that he would reduce his earlier 50-day timeline for ending the war to a new range of 10 to 12 days, cautioning that new sanctions and potential secondary tariffs could follow.

The Kremlin responded on Tuesday by stating that it had taken Trump’s ultimatum into consideration but chose not to comment on the potential for new sanctions. Chief spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia’s military actions in Ukraine would persist, regardless of Trump’s threats.

On Wednesday, Peskov dismissed Trump’s latest remarks, telling reporters, «We’ve been living under stringent sanctions for a considerable time now.»

Trump further informed reporters aboard Air Force One that he had yet to hear back from Putin regarding the new deadline for peace, labeling the lack of response as «unfortunate.»

“We’re planning to impose tariffs and other measures,” he stated. “I’m unsure how much of an impact this will have on Russia because, clearly, [Putin] is intent on continuing the war… It might influence them, it might not, but it’s a possibility.”

These comments represent a notable change of stance from earlier this year when Trump frequently expressed optimism about Putin’s readiness for peace negotiations and had disagreements with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

However, after several months of slow-moving peace discussions that have only produced standard prisoner swaps, frustration is growing within the Trump administration.

Simultaneously, efforts for U.S.-Russia dialogues to restore normal diplomatic relations have also stalled. On Tuesday, the Kremlin seemed to assign blame to Washington for the deadlock, asserting that discussions are “making no progress.”

Reporting by AFP contributed to this story.