Trump's ceasefire demand comes as Russia storms two major fortresses

President Donald Trump's Monday announcement that he would shorten the deadline for imposing sanctions on Russia if it did not reach a ceasefire comes as Moscow's forces have stormed two major fortress cities and appear poised for major gains on the battlefield.

“I’m very disappointed. I’m disappointed in President Putin. I’m going to reduce that 50 days I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen," Trump said, suggesting that figure would be "about 10 or 12 days."

His remarks follow Russian forces entering the cities of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Both cities have been key logistical hubs for Ukraine for most of the war and their losses are expected to enable significant Russian encroachment into the Ukrainian interior. While neither city has fallen outright, Russian troops are within the main settlements of both urban hubs and are threatening to envelop the cities from the flanks.

Gains on the battlefield may be a partial motivation for Trump's expedited timeline. His threat of secondary sanctions on countries doing business with Russia, however, comes as he negotiates trade deals with nearly every foreign nation, including China. Though he has reached a preliminary trade agreement with Beijing, threats to sanction the country or other Russian partners could undermine his negotiations.