This opinion was voiced on Espreso TV by journalist Vitaly Portnikov.“Let’s see what the U.S. president will do in 50 days — or perhaps sooner. So far, we’re observing a kind of pause. Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Russia, and it must be said clearly: despite the time that has passed, Putin has ignored it.There were some remarks from Russian officials — Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — who responded mockingly, making it clear the Kremlin isn’t taking Trump’s statements seriously. Most notably, there’s been no reaction from Putin himself,” Portnikov said.According to Portnikov, Putin is now preparing a response to Trump that could paralyze the American president’s foreign policy initiatives. This doesn’t necessarily mean Putin will succeed, but his prolonged silence appears to be tied to this intention.“Trump is an unpredictable figure. No one can rule out the possibility of another conversation with Putin after which Trump might once again change his stance on how this war should end,” Portnikov said.He believes Putin is preparing for such a conversation — one aimed at derailing any serious sanctions against Russia within the next 50 days.“We’ve already seen this before. On May 12, a joint ultimatum from the U.S. and European countries, initiated by Trump to push for a ceasefire on the Russian-Ukrainian front, was supposed to take effect. European leaders even came to Kyiv on May 10, met with Zelenskyy, spoke with Trump, and then issued the ultimatum. But Putin practically ignored it, instead proposing to start negotiations in Istanbul,” Portnikov recalled.According to Portnikov, it later became clear that this was enough for Donald Trump to back away — both from the already agreed sanctions and from the idea of an unconditional ceasefire on the Russian-Ukrainian front. Trump also pushed the Ukrainian side into participating in meaningless, symbolic negotiations in Istanbul.“During a recent meeting with Donald Trump, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte admitted that European leaders also pressured Ukraine into attending those pseudo-negotiations. The Ukrainian delegation went solely at Trump’s request.If Putin now finds a new move that prompts Trump to shift his position again, I’m certain the U.S. president will seize the opportunity — because he fundamentally does not want confrontation with Moscow. I only hope that this time it will be much harder for Putin to find such a move, now that Trump realizes Putin won’t accept his ceasefire plan,” Portnikov concluded.On July 14, Donald Trump announced plans to impose secondary tariffs on Russia — potentially up to 100% — if a peace agreement with Ukraine isn’t reached within 50 days.In response, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former Russian president, dismissed Trump’s 50-day ultimatum for a peace agreement with Ukraine as a “decorative ultimatum.”Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham advised Putin to consult Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei if he wants to know what will happen on the 51st day after Trump’s conditions regarding the Ukraine war are unmet.