Putin is not influenced by Trump’s Ukraine’s Ukraine Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hopes for new peace talks with Ukraine-but stressed that his troops “progressed all over the front line”, despite the threat of stricter American sanctions if a cease-fire had not agreed.

“All disappointments arise from swollen expectations,” said Putin, in an apparent reference to Trump’s “disappointment” with the Russian chief not to have ended the war.

Speaking one day after one of the deadliest Russian air attacks against kyiv, he repeated his requests for Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of the occupied territories, which Ukraine considers a capitulation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin at any time.

Speaking on Friday at the Valaam monastery on an island in northwestern Russia, Putin said that he expected negotiations with Ukraine to continue, adding that he considered “positively negotiations”.

But in a veiled reference to the increasing pressure of Ukraine and its Western allies to accept a long-term ceasefire, he said: “As for any disappointment on the part of anyone, all the disappointments arise from swollen expectations.

“Our enemies and our malicious people … now have an ardent passion: to stop our lead (on the front line in Ukraine) at all costs”.

Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly accused Russia of blocking peace negotiations and rejecting any significant cease-fire, saying that Moscow tries to grasp more Ukrainian territories.

Three rounds of Russian-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, Turkey, have finished in recent months without any major breakthrough. The two parties, however, agreed to exchange several thousand prisoners of war.

Speaking shortly after Putin’s comments, Zelensky wondered if Russia showed “serious desire to put an end to war with dignity and establish a really lasting peace” or if it was “just an attempt to buy more time for war and postpone the sanctions”.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its deadly drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.

Thursday, at least 31 people – including five children – were killed in a Russian air assault on the Ukrainian capital.

President Donald Trump condemned Russia’s actions, threatening new sanctions.

“Russia, I think it’s disgusting what they are doing,” he told journalists.

When in July, Trump announced its original deadline for 50 days for Russia to end the war, Putin did not react. When it was reduced to 10-12 days, Putin said nothing.

But Friday, the chief of the Kremlin is no doubt that he would not be influenced by an ultimatum of the White House.

Trump can claim to be “disappointed” from Putin for not having made peace – but the Russian chief is unrepentant.

His guest on the island of Valaam, the authoritarian chief of Bélarus, Alexander Lukashenko, was more direct in his rejection of the deadline of Trump.

“50 days, 60 days, 10 days. You don’t do politics like that,” said Lukashenko.

Experience shows that, for Trump, deadlines are not fixed in stone. But on paper, at least, his last deadline expires on August 8.

If by then, Russia has not signed up for a ceasefire in Ukraine, it will be confronted with more sanctions-so in theory, countries that will buy Russian oil.

But to judge by what the Russian state media have said in recent days, many in Moscow doubt that the White House will undergo its threat of more severe sanctions.

In addition, according to what Putin said on Friday about Russia which progresses all over the front line in Ukraine, he clearly thinks that a cease-fire is not in the best interest of Moscow.

On Friday, Ukrainian officials said Kyiv received “positive signals” from the United States on the new potential sanctions.

One day earlier, the main American diplomat John Kelley told the United Nations Security Council that Russia and Ukraine “had to negotiate a ceasefire and lasting peace.”

“It’s time to conclude an agreement,” he said.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is currently in Israel, is said to visit Russia, said US president this week. He gave no other details.