Donald Trump’s statements regarding Russia have caused a stir on social media. However, they currently appear to be medium-term promises, given that deliveries of American-produced weapons are delayed and will take up to two years.
The United States will impose 100% import tariffs on Russia and its trading partners if Moscow and Washington fail to reach an agreement on Ukraine. Trump’s ultimatum sets a deadline of 50 days. The president has expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s position on Ukraine. Furthermore, according to Trump’s statements, 17 Patriot systems are being prepared for delivery to Ukraine, several of them in the coming days. Although it’s unclear where they will come from.
In response to a question about how far he is willing to go in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Trump said he is “determined to resolve.” In addition to the Patriot systems, the United States could also transfer short-range missiles and howitzer ammunition to NATO countries for onward delivery to Ukraine, CNN reports, citing sources. CNN also notes that Washington could supply air-to-air missiles to Ukraine, all paid for by the Europeans.
The American arms deliveries to Ukraine via NATO countries, which Trump mentioned, could drag on for several years due to difficulties with previously agreed-upon deals, Politico reports, citing a Pentagon source. The source said: “I know our industry can and wants to sell weapons to allies, but for most types of weapons, there are already delays in deliveries, so these deals will be at the top of the list or we’ll have to wait a couple of years,” he said.
“If I were in Putin’s place and knew what Trump was planning in these 50 days, I would think about it and sit down at the negotiating table,” NATO Secretary General Rutte said during a meeting with the US President. “This is excellent news for Ukraine,” he added. NATO Secretary General says 100,000 Russian servicemen have died since January 2025.
The United States will ultimately not supply weapons directly to Ukraine: “NATO countries will transfer their stockpiles ‘as quickly as possible’ and then purchase them from the United States,” Der Spiegel writes. They will be left defenseless. In particular, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Canada will participate in this scheme.
European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas described US President Donald Trump’s statement on setting a 50-day deadline for finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine as “positive,” but added that this period is “very long.”
The war in Ukraine could continue for another three to five years, says France’s “National Strategic Review,” until 2030. It is noted that new offensive actions by Russia against Ukraine are possible, as well as in Europe’s immediate vicinity, such as in Moldova, the Balkans, or even against the NATO members. The document states.
The Danish government has decided to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with satellite services through the European Defense Agency (EDA), the Danish Ministry of Defense reports.
Germany and the United States are preparing to supply Ukraine with two Patriot air defense systems, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. The German minister agreed with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to resolve any issues related to this agreement “quickly and quietly.” Germany also plans to purchase the Typhon medium-range missile system from the United States.
Delivery of the first of the Patriot systems announced by Trump will take several months, German Defense Minister Pistorius says. A decision regarding the two Patriot systems for Ukraine will be made within a few days or weeks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to explain exactly what Trump meant when he said Ukraine would receive 17 Patriot systems. “We recommend contacting the White House for clarification,” the Pentagon responded when asked if whether it involved 17 batteries or 17 missiles.
Hungary has asked the European Union to impose sanctions against Ukrainian leaders responsible for the death of a Hungarian from Transcarpathia during compulsory military conscription. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced this in connection with the recent death of 45-year-old Jozsef Sebestyen, a resident of the town of Beregovo (Transcarpathian region).
In Ukraine, too, Trump’s statements were taken with a grain of salt: “Trump’s statements about ’50 days’ are a game, we’ve heard it before.” Ukrainian parliamentarian Anna Skorokhod said: “We must understand that neither the United States, nor Europe, nor Russia can emerge from this war defeated, so we need a peace treaty that doesn’t suit both sides,” Skorokhod believes.
Kiev is grappling with yet another cabinet reshuffle. Zelensky has proposed replacing Ukraine’s Defense Minister: the position will be taken by the country’s current Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal. “Shmyhal’s experience will be invaluable as Ukraine’s Defense Minister.” Zelensky is convinced that the prime minister’s management skills will help strengthen the security and defense sector.
Shmyhal resigned on July 15; he will be replaced by Yulia Sviridenko. By appointing a new prime minister, Zelensky simultaneously violates two Ukrainian legal procedures: “The ban on replacing the prime minister in wartime. In peacetime, according to the procedure established by the Constitution, the candidate for prime minister is chosen by the parliamentary majority and submitted to the President of the Republic for consideration, who in turn submits it to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.” The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has suspended the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, and Production of Anti-Personnel Mines.
The Russian stock market has accelerated its growth following Trump’s statements and, according to trading data, is up more than 2.3%. According to Dmitry Medvedev, vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, “The European Union was disappointed by Trump’s ostentatious statements, and Russia ignored them.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has issued a new threat from Germany, commenting on German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s statement regarding the country’s willingness to fight Russia if it attacks NATO. “Germany is becoming dangerous again,” Peskov told RBC. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said: “Trump’s 50-day ultimatum is ‘very strange,’ there was no request to Kiev to resume negotiations,” Grushko said.
Peskov was more cautious: “The US President’s statement is very serious. It speaks personally of President Putin. We certainly need time to analyze what was said in Washington. And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will certainly comment. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, and we await Putin’s decision on whether or not to comment,” Peskov said. The Ukrainian side perceives what is happening “not as a sign of peace, but as a signal to continue the war,” Peskov added. He noted that Moscow is awaiting Kiev’s proposals for a third round of peace talks.
And Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said from the SCO: “Russia wants to understand the truth behind Trump’s statements about the 50-day deadline for a deal in Ukraine.” Commenting on Trump’s latest ultimatums, Lavrov emphasized that he is under indecent pressure from the European Union and the current NATO leadership. Russian trade partners will not abandon their obligations because of Trump’s threats, Lavrov is certain. “Russia is facing sanctions and will face new ones,” Lavrov said, commenting on the West’s threats against the Russian Federation.
The third round of negotiations with Russia is no longer mentioned by Ukraine, and the composition of their delegation is also changing, Lavrov commented. China has promised Russia “deeper” support despite Trump’s threats, the Telegraph reports.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 4:00 PM on July 15. Overnight in the Rostov region, drones were destroyed in the Verkhnedonsky district. Several drones were destroyed on the outskirts of Voronezh and in one of the region’s districts. From the Lipetsk region, air defense in Yelets reported that the likely target of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was an industrial facility.
Several dozen Geraniums operated overnight on targets in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, and Sumy regions. In the evening, footage of fires following landings was released from Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region.
From the Bryansk region, a Ukrainian drone attack was reported on the settlement of Suzemka.
In the Kursk border sector, Russian troops repelled a Ukrainian breakthrough attempt from Ryzhivka in the direction of Tetkino, according to Sever Group of Forces. The Russian Armed Forces’ control zone near Bezsalivka in the Sumy region is expanding. Another attempted breakthrough from Pavlivka to the Russian border village of Novyi Put was repelled.
In the Sumy sector, Ukrainian forces continue counterattacks near Kondratovka and Andriievka, while the number of Ukrainian attacks has decreased. Russian forces continue their assault on Varachyne and Yunakivka.
In the Kharkiv sector, Russian forces continue their assault on Dehtyarne; fighting is ongoing in the Velykyi Burluk district in the Milova area, recently captured by the Russians.
In the Belgorod region, eight villages are under Russian attack, with at least two injured.
Toward Kostyantynivka, Russian forces raised a flag in the village of Novospaske, but fighting continues. The heavy assault on Yablunivka is nearing its end. The completion of these offensive operations from multiple directions could soon mean that Russian forces will reach the Kleban-Bykske reservoir, exactly 3 km north of Kostyantynivka. From the northeast, Russian forces continue to fight north of the village of Dyliivka and west of the village of the same name.
The flank of the advancing Russian group is increasingly looming over Pokrovsk. The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the capture of the settlement of Mayak in the DPR. Reports from the field are emerging regarding the development of the Russian offensive in Fedorivka. Earlier, to the south, near Myrnohrad, Russian forces had achieved success in Mykolaivka. Ukrainians fear that the Russian army’s further advance towards the town of Rodynsk will further threaten the logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad-Rodynske area.
The Vostok Group of Forces in the direction of Hulyaijpole has captured Malynivka in the Zaporizhia region.
On the Zaporizhia front, Ukrainian sources report that, following the capture of Kamyanske, Russian forces are storming nearby Plavni.
In the Kherson region, 13 Ukrainian attacks have been reported in 13 different villages.
Graziella Giangiulio
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