Kremlin officials have rejected US President Donald Trump's demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days, News.bg reports.
At the same time, Moscow said it can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its military goals. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on July 15 that Russia considers any attempts at ultimatums unacceptable.
This is stated in an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ryabkov stressed that Russia is ready to negotiate and prefers a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine. However, Moscow will continue to pursue its military goals if the US and NATO do not take its demands seriously. He said Russia's position was "unwavering".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress towards a new round of talks, and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Moscow was not interested in "Trump's ultimatum".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed confidence that the country would cope with the new US tariffs, as it had managed to withstand previous sanctions.
President Vladimir Putin has not yet given an official response to Trump's proposal. According to sources cited by „Reuters“ on July 15, the Kremlin is trying to determine what could persuade Trump not to impose secondary tariffs in early September 2025.
According to the same sources, Putin intends to continue the war until the West agrees to Russian demands. The Kremlin is not worried by threats and may even expand its territorial ambitions if the military situation on the ground allows it.
One of the sources said that Putin believes that the diplomatic efforts so far have not included real discussions about a peace plan, and therefore “will continue until he gets what he wants“. The Russian president continues to insist on the same conditions that he set back in 2021. and early 2022.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) emphasizes that Putin believes in his “theory of victory,” that Russia can achieve its goals through military victories and by outlasting Western support for Ukraine.
According to the ISW analysis, only sustained economic pressure from the West, combined with steady military support for Kiev, can put Russia in a vulnerable position on the battlefield and force the Kremlin to enter into substantive peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced key changes to the government. On July 14, he nominated Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko as the new prime minister. Zelensky noted that the experience of the previous prime minister, Denys Shmygal, would be useful in the role of defense minister.
A day later, on July 15, Shmygal officially resigned as prime minister.