“It was 24 hours, then 100 days”: Lavrov dismisses Trump’s 50-day ultimatum

Russian service of BBC News reports. 

Lavrov did not directly criticize Washington. Instead, he shifted the blame to the European Union, accusing it of exerting undue influence over the situation. 

“We’ve already had 24 hours, and then 100 days. We’ve been through this before,” Lavrov said, referring to previous political deadlines. “Now we’re trying to understand what exactly the U.S. president means by this.”

Lavrov suggested that Trump is acting under “strong and indecent” pressure from the European Union and current NATO leadership, whom he accused of aligning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s demands.

Lavrov stated that Russia is prepared for more sanctions, noting that the country has already endured a significant number of restrictions. He also dismissed the Istanbul negotiations as insufficient, hinting that Moscow does not consider that format final or comprehensive.

Ukraine's response

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, mocked Lavrov’s statements. He accused the Russian foreign minister of attempting to “troll” Trump, while Russia itself remains increasingly dependent on North Korea in its war against Ukraine.

“Lavrov is clearly an old man who’s lost track of the geopolitical landscape,” Kovalenko wrote. “Russia is no longer a player, just a tool — and its defeat in this war is only a matter of time. The only question is how many more bodies Putin will throw into the furnace.”

• U.S. President Donald Trump essentially gave Putin a free hand by delaying arms deliveries to Ukraine.