Kremlin rejects Trump's ultimatum

Russia will continue the war against Ukraine despite the new ultimatum from the US President Donald Trump. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the dictator Vladimir Putin, quoted by Russian propagandists TASS.

The Kremlin "took note" of Trump's statement about reducing the timeframe for Russia to end the war and about his lack of interest in contacts, Peskov said.

He noted that Russia, despite the statements of the US president, will continue the war against Ukraine to allegedly "protect its interests, but is interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict."

By "their interests," the Russians usually mean ultimatum demands to Ukraine: rejection of NATO, disarmament, withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Ukrainian regions, which the occupiers illegally included in their constitution, and so-called denazification.

Other Russian propagandists, RIA Novosti, quote Peskov in a more extended form, but without the phrase about continuing the war (the text below is from this occupiers' agency).

Regarding the possibility of a meeting between the US president and the Russian dictator, the Kremlin spokesman said that this issue "has not been on the agenda in terms of substance and is not on the agenda." Earlier, Trump said that he is "not so interested" in talking to Putin anymore, since Russia is killing civilians in Ukraine with its attacks.

Peskov also added that the Kremlin is noticing a slowdown in the process of normalizing bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington.

This process is going "neither here nor there," and the aggressor country would like to see more dynamics in it, Putin's spokesman said.

In addition, the Russian official said that Russia and the United States are not in contact about extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III).

• on July 28, Trump shortened his 50-day ultimatum to Putin: he now gave the dictator "10 or 12 days" to conclude a peace deal, otherwise, secondary duties will be applied to buyers of Russian resources. The US President also noted that the Russian economy is "not that great" and is just going through a hard time right now.
• In response, president Zelenskyy thanked Trump and said: "The clear position and expressed determination on the part of the US President at a time when strength can change a lot for the sake of true peace".
• The next day, Zelenskyy noted that the Russians continued to strike in Ukraine and kill civilians even after Trump's new ultimatum, and called for sanctions pressure on Moscow to end the war.