U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump set a deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, and that date is on Friday. However, now, Trump is saying that it's up to Putin.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, he was asked, "Is your deadline still standing for Putin to agree to a ceasefire tomorrow?"
"It's gonna be up to him. Very disappointed," said Trump.
The response raised the eyebrows of many observers.
Political commentator and podcaster Jo Carducci asked, "Up to him? Is that how deadlines work?"
Host David Pakman commented, "There’s reporting now that the Kremlin believes Putin has an 'advantage' over Trump in upcoming talks. Yes, Trump is completely enamored with Putin, of course that gives Putin the advantage."
The anti-Trump GOP group "The Lincoln Project" called Trump "soft."
"This is going to end like it did with Netanyahu, with Trump just telling Putin to get it all over with it as quickly as [possible]," anticipated reporter Nick Field.
Writer Bo Gardiner was incensed. "So our f---ing president admits he's letting his own 'deadline' be controlled by the Russian president. Could Trump be any weaker? jfc," he wrote.
"You see this invisible red line? That one there? Yah," replied Canadian engineer Duane Storey.
Others referred to it as the TACO of foreign policy, an acronym for "Trump Always Chickens Out."
Others were concerned that Trump's senility was showing, claiming he appeared to forget his own deadline.
Trump frequently claimed on the 2024 campaign trail that ending the war between Ukraine and Russia would be so easy that he could do it "in 24 hours."
“No one’s saying this can be done in 12 hours,” he told reporters in April.
See the video below or at the link here.