U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed at least 70 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning. Among the areas targeted was the southwestern Voronezh region, which borders northeastern Ukraine. At least 24 people were injured there, Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram.

Zelensky and Trump consider drone ‘mega-deal’ as Russia steps up attacks - The Ukrainian leader said drones were the key tool that has allowed his country to fight off Russia's invasion for more than

To appreciate the dramatic shift in President Donald Trump’s policy towards Ukraine, consider two scenes in the Oval Office, months apart:

This week marked a possible pivot by President Donald Trump regarding Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, described Trump's statement as "very serious" during his daily press briefing on Tuesday, July 15. Peskov said Putin would need time to analyze Trump's remarks, some of which were directed at him, and to decide whether to comment.

"We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia," President Trump said while in a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

President Trump has effectively handed Vladimir Putin an extraordinary green light: 50 days to finish off his brutal summer offensive in Ukraine before facing any consequences.

Former Ukraine aid critics now back Trump's strategy requiring European funding for weapons to Kyiv after the president pivoted his frustration from Zelenskyy to Putin.