Moscow’s response to the latest ultimatum issued by Donald Trump last week has been to deploy that most Russian of diplomatic weapons: contemptuous laughter. The US president’s threat to impose draconian sanctions unless Putin ends his invasion of Ukraine within fifty days has been met with the kind of theatrical disdain that would make Chekhov proud.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, never one to miss an opportunity for diplomatic sarcasm, openly sneered at Trump’s intervention on Tuesday. ‘We want to understand what exactly is behind this statement. Fifty days. It used to be 24 hours, and then it became 100 days. Russia has gone through all this and now wants to understand what the US president’s motives are,’ he said.

Putin has called Trump’s bluff before and emerged victorious

Russian officials have pledged to continue ‘achieving the aims of the special military operation – the Kremlin’s Orwellian euphemism for what the rest of us call the invasion of Ukraine. Putin himself has yet to comment, but then again, he’s never been one to appreciate being lectured by anyone, least of all an American president. ‘If and when President Putin considers it necessary, he will certainly respond,’ Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. This defiance might appear to be typical Russian bravado, but a closer examination suggests Moscow’s confidence may be rather more calculated than theatrical.

Trump’s volte-face has been spectacular. After months of courting Putin and pressuring Ukraine to accept what amounted to capitulation, the President abruptly........

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