Overview

• President Trump set an August 8 deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face U.S. tariffs on Russian goods and buyers, including a 25 percent levy on Indian imports now in effect.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s economy has built ‘immunity’ to Western sanctions and insisted any truce must recognize its territorial gains—a condition Ukraine rejects.
• Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned that U.S. ultimatums risk war with America and invoked the Soviet-era ‘Dead Hand’ nuclear strike system in his warnings.
• The U.S. has resumed arms deliveries to Ukraine via NATO to maintain military pressure on Moscow amid stalled peace negotiations.
• Trump dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks with Russian officials, but back-channel discussions have so far failed to advance a ceasefire agreement.