"Russia didn't care."
Those were the words of the Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in response to President Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum for the Federation to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face "very severe" consequences.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to respond to Trump's ultimatum, Medvedev and other Kremlin officials have dismissed the threat, as reported by the Moscow Times. Medvedev's post to X was — well, let's call it "the cockiest" of the bunch:
Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin.The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.
The question is whether the actual theatrics — those coming from the Kremlin in response to Trump — were meaningful, or principally meant for public consumption as part of an "Oh, yeah, who cares?" face-saving attempt to fire back at the president's blunt warning.
Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin.
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 15, 2025
The world shuddered, expecting the consequences.
Belligerent Europe was disappointed.
Russia didn’t care.
As RedState reported on Monday, Trump told reporters on Sunday he's "very disappointed" with Putin, adding:
I thought he was somebody that meant what he said — and he'll talk so beautifully, then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that.
Also on Monday, during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said in reference to his ultimatum:
We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days.
Game on?
READ MORE: Trump Has Had Enough of Vladimir Putin, Promises Severe Consequences Within 50 Days If No Deal
Trump, Congressional Republicans Losing Patience With Putin—Steep Russia Sanctions Loom
Nevertheless, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also weighed in on Trump's ultimatum, laughably claiming that Moscow prefers diplomacy over confrontation, and adding that "any attempts to make demands, especially in the form of ultimatums, are unacceptable to us.”
How rich is that? As Trump correctly said (I assume), Putin continues to say one thing during their phone calls out of one side of his mouth while ordering more bombing of civilian areas in Ukraine out of the other side.
Next up, Leonid Slutsky, head of the lower-house State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed Trump was trying to strike a balance between the Western “party of war” and more moderate forces in an effort to avoid a direct conflict with Russia:
If Trump truly wants progress on a settlement in Ukraine, he should show his “fist” to the Zelenskyy regime — not threaten Russia with secondary sanctions. Russia’s leadership has repeatedly stated that it is ready to end the conflict, all of Moscow’s proposals remain on the negotiating table.
Yeah, well, "all of Moscow's proposals" give Russia the "W" and Ukraine the "L," and nearly six months into Trump's second term, here we are — with an end to the war nowhere in sight. A war, mind you, that Trump vowed (before he won the election) to end within 24 hours of taking office.
Some Russian officials, including Sen. Natalia Nikonorova, a member of the upper-house Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested Trump was merely “maneuvering” with his ultimatum:
By using vague wording in terms of both timing and meaning, he is leaving himself various exit strategies for the future. The world has not seen any radical actions from him, despite what was previously announced in the media.
On one hand, Trump is known for making deals by threatening one thing, while settling for less. The art of the deal, as it were.
On the other hand, after threatening the Islamist regime Iran, Trump followed through and ordered strikes on the country's key nuclear facilities. But yet on the third hand, Vladimir Putin and Russia aren't the mad mullahs and Iran, so here we are.
And where is "here?"
While the future is unknowable, and while Kremlin leaders might talk a defiant game, Russia can ill afford to suffer the loss of much-needed oil revenue, and if push comes to shove, my money's on Trump.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join RedState and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member