Trump ultimatum leaves Putin cornered, expert explains impact

In his opinion, the Kremlin currently has two scenarios: to ignore the statement or attempt negotiations at the level of state leaders.

"The Russians are still confused because they have two possible courses of action. The first is to try to ignore it, although that is unlikely to work. The second is to try to negotiate," Nesvitailov said.

According to the expert, formal statements alone will not satisfy Trump, as the public image is what truly matters to him.

"There has to be at least a meeting and discussion between state leaders. Otherwise, Istanbul-2 won't work — that won't be enough for Trump, and he won't be able to sell it as a victory," he added.

The expert noted that the Kremlin may return to the tactics it used during the early months of Trump's presidency: being "as nice as possible" and publicly showing a willingness to engage in dialogue. At the same time, he did not rule out that the Russians may try to intimidate Trump by hinting at the threat of nuclear war.

"It seems they have chosen that path, because Medvedev came out again with a statement — this time directly on Twitter, so it would definitely be seen," Nesvitailov said.

According to him, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council stated that "Russia is not Israel and not even Iran," and that "each new ultimatum brings us closer to war" — not only with Ukraine, but also with the United States.

However, US Senator Lindsey Graham promptly responded to this statement.

"Don't get cocky, kid. If you think Trump isn't serious about ending this war — you're wrong. Your clients are wrong," Nesvitailov quoted Graham's reply.

At the same time, according to the expert, what may irritate Trump the most is the Kremlin's public behavior.

"The Russians constantly enter the public arena and say: 'We're not going to stop.' Their propagandists openly declare: 'We're going to keep attacking. We're not going to end this,'" the expert explained.

He added that such rhetoric from the Kremlin is already starting to backfire: "It's like a snowball that's starting to roll — and it will crash down on them. I hope that blow will be fatal."

Trump's 50-day ultimatum

Trump recently threatened Russia with new sanctions if Russian president Vladimir Putin does not agree to end the war against Ukraine. He gave Moscow 50 days to make a decision.

However, just yesterday, Trump announced that he had decided to revise the terms of his ultimatum, introducing the possibility of significant tariffs targeting Putin.

Later, the American leader clarified that the Kremlin now has only 10–12 days left. Trump also stated that he is considering not only secondary tariffs but also secondary sanctions against Russia.