Donald Trump has told Russia that it has 50 days to come to a peace deal or else sanctions will be imposed on countries who buy Russian oil. Russia told Trump that he is sending the signal to Ukraine to continue the war. As we read in the New York Times:

The U.S. president issued a 50-day ultimatum for Moscow to come to a peace deal, before implementing penalties drafted by Congress on Russia and its trading partners. He also agreed to supply weapons to Ukraine, to be paid for by Europe.

The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, called Mr. Trump’s remarks “very serious” on Tuesday and something that would concern President Vladimir V. Putin. But he said Moscow would need time to analyze the position.

On Wednesday, Mr. Peskov said he hoped the United States was still pressuring Ukraine to continue peace talks. Ukraine and many Western analysts say that Russia has sought to string Mr. Trump along by holding talks without a real readiness to make a deal.

“Many statements have been made,” Mr. Peskov said. “Many words about disappointment.” Ukraine, he added, was reading Washington’s support “as a signal to continue the war.”

On state television, Russian commentators expressed doubt about Mr. Trump’s plans, saying the weapons he promises were unlikely to change the battlefield reality. Some also suggested Mr. Trump would be unable to penalize buyers of Russian oil without sharply increasing global oil prices, to the detriment of the United States and its Western allies.

“I don’t think the Russians are overly impressed,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, adding: “There is still more bark than bite.”

Mr. Gabuev said the Kremlin’s calculus remained unchanged: Moscow believes that with Ukraine losing territory and struggling to find enough men and Western support, time is on Russia’s side. Moscow is still seeking Ukraine’s capitulation to a broad range of demands, including that it cede more territory, cap the future size of its military and stay out of military alliances.

People close to the Kremlin say Mr. Putin believes he is winning and sees no reason to stop without major Ukrainian concessions. Mr. Putin has not yet spoken publicly about Mr. Trump’s new stance.