Trump Again Extends Deadline for Putin as Ukraine Peace Talks Stall

President Donald Trump is once again extending his deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to pursue peace talks with Ukraine, telling reporters Friday he will give Moscow “a couple of weeks” before deciding on next steps.

Asked whether he might take no action if Putin fails to engage, Trump said, “We’ll see. I’ll see whose fault it is.” He emphasized that if there are valid reasons for a delay, he would “understand that” but added he expects clarity within two weeks.

Trump has repeatedly set similar timelines in recent months, warning Putin that continued delays could result in consequences. His comments Friday came amid a lack of progress on peace talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed earlier in the day that no meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently planned.

The White House had hoped for bilateral talks between Moscow and Kyiv, potentially followed by a trilateral session with Trump involved. Despite Trump’s push, momentum has stalled.

“You understand that I wanted to have a meeting with those two. I could have been at the meeting, but a lot of people think that nothing’s going to come out of that meeting,” Trump said. “Maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s not, but we’re going to see. In the meantime, people continue to die.”

During his Oval Office remarks, Trump displayed a photo of himself and Putin taken during their meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, last week — a photo Trump said was sent to him by Putin. Trump noted he intends to sign the picture and suggested the Russian leader may visit the United States for the World Cup later this year.

“He’s been very respectful of me and of our country, but not so respectful of others,” Trump said. “We have a lot of things happening over the next couple of weeks.”

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