US President Donald Trump has announced a dramatic reduction in his deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine.

Expressing mounting frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump cut the original 50-day ultimatum issued just two weeks ago down to just “10 or 12 days” setting a hard deadline of August 7-9.

Failure to reach a deal by then, Trump warned, will trigger severe new economic sanctions against Russia.

“I’m very disappointed in President Putin,” Trump stated, explaining his decision. “I’m going to reduce that 50 days I gave him to a lesser number because I already know the answer to what’s going to happen. I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today, there is no reason in waiting, we just don’t see any progress being made.”

Trump’s disillusionment marks a significant shift from his approach upon taking office in January 2025.

He initially upended longstanding US policy by treating Russia more as a potential ally than an adversary, diverging sharply from his predecessor Joe Biden.

This included suspending military assistance to Ukraine, publicly humiliating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and suggesting it was easier to work with Russia, all to broker an end to the war.

However, Trump now places the blame squarely on Russia and Putin for the lack of progress and continued bloodshed.

Detailing his frustration, Trump claimed near-agreements had been repeatedly sabotaged by Russian aggression.

“I would have said 5 times we would have had a deal, I’ve spoken with President Putin a lot and I thought we had that settled then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kiev and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever.”

When questioned about a potential future meeting with Putin, Trump signaled a breakdown in communication, saying he is “not so interested in talking anymore.”

The new ultimatum accelerates Trump’s earlier threat of imposing very severe tariffs on Russia and potentially secondary tariffs targeting countries that continue trading with Moscow.

This move aims to cripple Russia’s key revenue streams, particularly energy exports.

It launched a massive overnight barrage just hours before Trump’s announcement, firing more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles, and three ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities according to Ukraine Airforce.

Support from allies like China, North Korea, and Iran, coupled with continued energy sales, helps sustain Russia’s war effort.