Trump could inflict pain on Putin in the absence of peace progress. Here's how.

President Donald Trump set a two-week deadline for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to make progress on ceasefire negotiations over Ukraine.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday set a two-week deadline for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to make progress on ceasefire negotiations over Ukraine, adding thinly veiled threats about the consequences for Moscow if he isn't satisfied.

The two leaders have long shared a public rapport, but tensions have mounted in recent weeks, with Trump increasingly frustrated by the Kremlin demanding what essentially amounts to a surrender by Kyiv in the two countries’ three-year-long war.

Trump’s recent complaints that Putin is stringing him along, paired with his answer, “I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” when asked in the Oval Office whether he thought Putin was serious about a peace deal, suggest his patience is wearing thin.

“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently,” Trump added.