Trump Alarms Kremlin with Ultimatum: Putin Given Two Weeks to Resolve Ukraine Crisis

US President Donald Trump seems to have given Vladimir Putin a two-week ultimatum, hinting at a distinct reaction if the Russian leader continues to delay or avoid taking action.

When the Kremlin intensified its assaults on Ukraine, Trump was questioned in the Oval Office on Wednesday about whether he believed Putin intended to bring an end to the conflict.

"I cannot disclose that information, however, I will inform you within roughly two weeks," Trump stated to journalists, adding to a series of contentious public comments directed at Putin.

Starting from Sunday, Trump has published several messages on social media stating that Putin has become "totally insane" and is "playing with fire," following an escalation of Russian assaults on Ukraine.

The assaults carried out by Russia are reported to be among the biggest and most lethal attacks since the beginning of the conflict, which has entered its fourth year.

At least 13 individuals were killed and numerous others, including children, were wounded in Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, during the past weekend.

By Wednesday, the assaults had not demonstrated any indications of decreasing.

Regarding the intensification of violence and whether he believes Putin is committed to concluding the conflict, Trump stated: "I will inform you within roughly two weeks."

In just two weeks, we'll discover if (Putin is) monitoring us or not.

“And should that be the case, our response will differ somewhat.”

The remarks indicate an increasing sense of exasperation from Trump, as the administration’s ongoing attempts to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine continue to seem increasingly hopeless.

This includes a recent two-hour phone call Between Trump and Putin, following which the U.S. president stated that their talks had gone "extremely well."

Putin ended the conversation stating he was prepared to collaborate with Ukraine on drafting a "memorandum outlining a potential future peace accord."

The aforementioned call occurred just a week prior to Russia launching numerous drones and multiple missiles toward Kyiv, as reported by Ukraine's air force.

And Russia still needs to produce a memo.

Up until now, Trump's warnings haven't seemed significant enough to make Moscow yield to his requests. Previously stated threats from Trump have not been followed through upon.

After assuming office, Trump has solely acted against Ukraine, with Washington aiming to guide these nations toward Trump's requirement for a ceasefire.

This involved an eight-day halt to U.S. military aid and intelligence collaboration with Kyiv in March.

In the meantime, the U.S. government has not openly sought any major compromises from Russia.

The White House dismisses claims of caving to Moscow or not asserting its authority, noting that all the sanctions from the Biden administration continue to be applied to Russia.

However, up until now, its mediating approach seems to have made the Kremlin feel even more emboldened rather than less so.

Following recent attacks, Trump posted on Truth Social stating that "something has occurred" with Putin, an assertion the Kremlin mentioned was his comment. linked to an overwhelming surge of emotions .

Russia’s assaults on Ukraine persisted in the following days. Subsequently, Trump intensified his critique. On Tuesday, he stated that Putin was “playing with fire” and warned that “many negative outcomes” would have occurred for Russia if not for his intervention.

A aide from the Kremlin replied to Donald Trump’s recent posting on Truth Social stating, “It has been determined that Trump lacks sufficient knowledge regarding the actual circumstances.”

Aides like Yury Ushakov from Putin stated on the Russian state television station, Russia-1, that Trump might not know about the escalating number of significant terror strikes conducted by Ukraine against tranquil Russian urban areas.

On Wednesday, Germany’s newly appointed Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, conveyed messages to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, stating that Berlin will assist Kyiv in manufacturing long-range missiles. to protect itself against an assault from Russia.

The Kremlin has cautioned that any choice to remove limitations on the types of missiles Ukraine is allowed to utilize would represent a perilous shift in strategy, which could undermine attempts to achieve a diplomatic resolution.

Despite Russia’s obstinacy, Trump has often eased his requirements, moving the focus away from his initial push for a swift 30-day truce, accepted solely by Ukraine, towards lately insisting on holding a meeting with Putin aimed at achieving what he claims would be significant progress.

Since the U.S. reinstated communication with the Russians in February, Putin and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov have escalated their demands beyond their previous stances.

This has encompassed demands for Ukraine to surrender portions of its territory not even under Russian occupation, along with the U.S. formally acknowledging Crimea as an official part of Russia.

Michael McFaul, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, refers to this as a "poison pill" implemented by Russia: Establishing terms that Kyiv would be unable to accept, so as to pin the blame on Ukraine in Trump's view.

The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and devastated large parts of Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. Russia currently holds approximately one-fifth of the nation’s land area, encompassing Crimea, an area it seized in 2014.

Zelensky has charged Moscow with obstructing the peace negotiations and mentioned that they had not yet provided the anticipated memorandum outlining the terms for peace after discussions in Istanbul. Peskov maintained that the document was nearing completion.