August 6: Trump believes the ultimatum to Putin is about to expire
The closer it gets to August 8, the more intense the statements from both American and Russian sides become
Image: US President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin
On Friday, the deadline for Trump's ultimatum on the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict will expire. Although the ultimatum mentioned both sides of the armed conflict, everyone understands that the main demands proposed by the self-proclaimed "master of deals" US president are primarily directed at Russia. It is no coincidence that Ukrainian TV even launched a timer in live broadcasts showing how many days, hours, and minutes remain until August 8.
The core of Trump's demands is an immediate ceasefire, otherwise the US will impose "hellish sanctions" on Russia. This means imposing a 100% tariff on countries purchasing oil and gas from Russia, mainly China and India.
Incidentally, the US itself is also buying heavy crude oil from Russian oil fields, as some US refineries have been specifically adjusted for this type of crude (Venezuela and Iran also have such crude, but these countries are under sanctions). The volume is relatively small, and it is purchased indirectly through third countries, but the fact remains. Of course, Trump will not put American companies on the "blacklist". Moreover, our heavy oil supply goes to Texas refineries, and he has a special position in the state. However, although this is worth mentioning, it is just a minor detail.
As August 8 approaches, some recent statements have indeed been crucial. One of them involves a "ceasefire in the air." This proposal was made during the recent meeting between Putin and Lukashenko on Varama Island. Notably, it was not the Russian president who proposed this idea, but the Belarusian president.
Evidently, a "ceasefire in the air" means temporarily halting drone and missile attacks. From Lukashenko's words, it can be inferred that this topic has been discussed privately for a long time. On June 21, the Belarusian president met with the US special envoy for Ukraine issues, Kit Kellogg, in Minsk. At that time, Kellogg received a message from Putin.
Lukashenko later explained, "I had previously discussed this issue (air ceasefire — note by "Free News") with Vladimir Putin. This issue has not been raised for the first time. Putin was right: 'Listen, we agree, we do not oppose, and we do not want missiles from the US, UK, France, and Germany to fall on our cities.'"
Washington did not respond. However, Kyiv reacted. From July 19 to 21, Ukrainian drones launched large-scale attacks on Russian cities. The air defense systems shot down 63 drones heading to Moscow. Within three days, over 20 airports in the capital and other regions were forced to implement flight restrictions. As a result, Sheremetyevo Airport fell into chaos. "Russian Aviation" suffered losses of billions due to flight cancellations, and thousands of passengers could not reach their destinations as planned. In addition, Ukrainian drones attacked transformer stations of Russian railways, forcing emergency adjustments to railway operations and schedules.
After that, the Russian military launched fierce attacks on Ukrainian military facilities and infrastructure. Refineries, airports, and factory workshops producing drones caught fire. Civilians were not spared either: remnants of the "Geranium" drones shot down by the Ukrainian air defense system fell on residential buildings in Kyiv. Naturally, Zelensky raged against "Russian atrocities," and Trump shortened the deadline of his ultimatum from 50 days to 10 days.
In other words, either Kit Kellogg did not convey Putin's proposal for a "ceasefire in the air" to Trump, or Washington ignored it. If the latter is true, it means that the current White House occupant has already made his decision: it is necessary to "punish" Russia. Indeed, he once openly said, "I am disappointed by Putin's actions."
Meanwhile, during the same meeting on Varama Island with Lukashenko, Putin pointed out, "Disappointment usually comes from high expectations." He also casually announced that Russia has begun mass production of the "Karakurt" missile system, which has unsettled NATO generals. He also mentioned that the "Karakurt" missile system will be deployed in Belarus by the end of the year.
Minsk stated that there are two options for deploying the "Orel" missile system: fixed deployment — fired from underground silos, and mobile deployment. Belarusian military experts believe that the mobile system will be chosen: because its location is difficult to track, whether in the east or west.
In this context, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement last Monday that Russia would no longer comply with the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range land-based missiles. In fact, the INF Treaty has long been失效 — since February 2019, when Trump also announced that the US was no longer interested in the treaty. For years, Moscow did not take any radical actions. Until August 4, 2025, everything changed, as the Italians say, enough is enough.
The "Orel" missile system, equipped with ballistic missiles, falls exactly into the category of intermediate-range missile systems. Its range exceeds 5,000 kilometers and can carry nuclear warheads with a total yield of 900 kilotons (equivalent to the yield of 45 "Hiroshima bombs"). But as Putin pointed out, even without nuclear warheads, the "Orel" has the capability to turn the target into ashes. The missile travels at an extremely high speed (10 Mach, i.e., 3 km per second), for example, from Gomel in Belarus to the Ramstein military base in the US (1,500 km) takes only a few minutes. For the Pentagon, the most terrifying thing is that no existing missile defense and air defense systems in the West can intercept this missile.
Evidently, the "Orel" missile system and the INF Treaty surfaced at this time when Trump was loudly boasting and playing with the deadline of the ultimatum, which is not accidental. It is equally evident that in recent days, the intensity of private negotiations and various signals has increased sharply.
Trump cannot afford to lose face — otherwise, his recent achievements in the "peacekeeping" operation in the Iraq war will pale in comparison, and the chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize will sharply decrease, while his class opponents in the Democratic Party and globalists in Europe will attack him from all sides. At that point, he will find it difficult to defend himself.
Putin's stakes are higher. It is not just about personal reputation, although in the current turbulent geopolitical environment, personal reputation is crucial. The key issue is — whether people like it or not — Russia's sovereignty. Now, we are sacrificing our lives for it.
Perhaps some have already forgotten: just one year ago, on August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian armed forces invaded the Kursk region. In this operation, in addition to selected Ukrainian armed forces units, thousands of mercenaries from the UK, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and other countries also participated, with NATO generals involved in the planning of the operation. When the Ukrainians saw burned Russian villages, destroyed "Five People Supermarket" in Sujha, and desecrated World War II soldier monuments on television, they were delighted. Civilians who couldn't escape were shot, women were raped and killed, and people were taken as "exchange commodities." Soon after, organized "looting tours" to the Kursk region were organized in the neighboring Sumy region.
After nearly nine months of continuous bloodshed, the occupiers were driven out, and they had already started establishing their own commandant's office on our land…
On August 5, Trump claimed he had found a way to make the Russians stop the fighting. He would lower the oil price by $10, and then Putin would order a ceasefire. I hope someone can explain to him that not everything in Russia can be measured by the price of a barrel of oil.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535362286337180175/
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