In a dramatic escalation of rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a veiled ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a potential shift in U.S. strategy if Moscow fails to demonstrate genuine intent to end the war in Ukraine within the next two weeks. The remarks, made during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Wednesday, underscore Trump’s growing impatience with Russia’s continued aggression and the stalled peace negotiations.  

“I can’t tell you [if Putin wants to end the war], but I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” Trump told RNG247 reporters. “Within two weeks, we’re gonna find out whether or not he’s stringing us along. And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently.”  

The comments come amid one of the most intense periods of violence in the four-year conflict, with Russian forces launching some of the largest and deadliest attacks since the war began. Over the weekend, missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more, including children. By Wednesday, the bombardments showed no signs of abating, with Ukraine’s air force reporting hundreds of drones and missiles targeting critical infrastructure and civilian areas.  

Trump’s remarks reflect mounting frustration within the White House as repeated efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine have yielded little progress. Last week, Trump held a two-hour phone call with Putin, which the U.S. president described as “very well.” Putin reportedly expressed readiness to work on a “memorandum on a possible future peace agreement.” However, no such document has materialized, and Russia’s military campaign has only intensified since the call.  

The U.S. president has taken to social media to voice his concerns, accusing Putin of “playing with fire” and suggesting that the Russian leader has “gone absolutely crazy.” On Tuesday, Trump warned that “lots of bad things” would have happened to Russia were it not for his involvement in the conflict.  

Despite Trump’s threats, Moscow has shown no signs of backing down. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov dismissed Trump’s comments as evidence of being “not sufficiently informed” about the situation, claiming that Ukraine has been carrying out “massive terrorist attacks” against Russian cities.  

The White House has faced criticism for its perceived leniency toward Russia, particularly as the Biden-era sanctions remain in place but have failed to curb Moscow’s aggression. Trump’s administration has taken limited action against Ukraine, including an eight-day suspension of U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing in March, but has not demanded significant concessions from Russia.  

Meanwhile, international support for Ukraine continues to grow. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged on Wednesday to help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself against Russian attacks. The Kremlin has warned that such a move would be a dangerous escalation, potentially derailing efforts to reach a political settlement.  

Russia’s demands in negotiations have also hardened. Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have called for Ukraine to cede territories not currently under Russian control and for the U.S. to formally recognize Crimea as part of Russia. Former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul described these conditions as a “poison pill,” designed to make any agreement impossible and shift blame onto Ukraine.  

The war has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and left much of eastern and southern Ukraine in ruins. Moscow controls roughly one-fifth of the country, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of delaying the peace process, noting that a promised memorandum of peace terms has yet to be delivered following talks in Istanbul.  

As the two-week deadline looms, the world watches to see whether Trump’s ultimatum will prompt a shift in Russia’s strategy or lead to a more confrontational U.S. response. For now, the conflict shows no signs of abating, leaving millions of Ukrainians caught in the crossfire of a war with no end in sight.