Putin Responds to Trump's Ultimatum

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that ‘all disappointments arise from excessive expectations,’ commenting on US President Donald Trump's statement in which he issued an ultimatum to Russia: either stop the war or face sanctions.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to the Russian service of the BBC.

Putin made the statement during a meeting with self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

‘As for any disappointments on anyone's part, all disappointments arise from excessive expectations... In order to approach the resolution of the issue peacefully, it is necessary to conduct substantive talks... and not in public, but calmly, in the silence of the negotiation process,’ Putin said.

He claims that in order to allegedly conduct negotiations ‘in silence,’ the Russian side proposed, following the results of the last meeting in Istanbul, to form three working groups that will work online.

‘In general, the reaction of the Ukrainian side was positive, we agreed that we can hold such talks without cameras and without any political noise, in a calm atmosphere and seek a compromise,’ the Russian leader said.

At this meeting, Putin also noted that Moscow's ‘goals and conditions’ for Ukraine, which he announced in June 2024, remain in force. At that time, he demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, as well as non-aligned and non-nuclear status for Kyiv.

In addition, Putin said that he ‘positively assesses’ the negotiation process with Ukraine in Istanbul. He also added that Russia could wait with the negotiations.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Trump issued a stark warning to Moscow: ‘We're very, very unhappy with them. And we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal...’

Trump announced a 10-day deadline for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to resolve the war he started against Ukraine.