Putin Brushes Off Trump Threats Over Ceasefire While Losing Nearly 1000 Troops a Day

As Moscow's daily battlefield losses continue to pile at a dramatic rate, Russian President Vladimir Putin signals no shift in his stance on a ceasefire with Ukraine, despite elevated threats from the U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a deal.

Trump has ramped up pressure on Putin to reach a deal with Ukraine, threatening Moscow, and partnering countries India and China, with major sanctions if a ceasefire is not reached by August 8. Allies of the Russian president have pushed back against Trump's threats, warning that the US is moving closer to war with Russia by issuing "ultimatums."

On Friday, Putin claimed that three sessions of peace talks with Ukraine have concluded with positive results, and that talks are expected to continue, according to Reuters.

"As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule," Putin said, without directly referring to Trump's updated ceasefire ultimatum. "But in order to approach the issue peacefully, it is necessary to conduct detailed conversations. And not in public, but this must be done calmly, in the quiet of the negotiation process."

On Aug 1, Russia lost approximately 940 troops in a single day across 70 different clashes with Ukrainian troops, according to battlefield reports. Since Trump issued his 10-day ceasefire ultimatum, Russia has lost nearly 3,000 soldiers, according to the Ukraine Defense Ministry, reporting over 1000 casualties on July 31 and a little over 800 on July 30.

Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, Russia has lost nearly 1.1 million soldiers along with tens of thousands of tanks, UAVs, artillery systems, missiles, and armored fighting vehicles.

According to the Ukraine General staff, The bulk of fighting occured in the Donetsk region, where Ukraine soldiers repelled over 30 attempts by Russian infantry to attack the city of Pokrovsk.

"Defense Forces are holding back the pressure and repelled thirty attacks of the opponent, four clashes are ongoing," General Staff reported.

Since peace talks began in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, Moscow has conducted some of the heaviest airstrikes of the 3 year conflict, specifically targeting Kyiv, the nation's capital. Ukraine has stated that the negotiators in Istanbul do not have the authority to make significant decisions regarding the ceasefire, according to Reuters.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement on X, stating "we understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too," urging Putin himself to come to the negotiating table.