President Donald Trump may have expected a Russian shudder of fear to greet his threat of “very severe tariffs” on the country if it didn’t agree a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans will vote on a Russia sanctions bill once Trump approves it, as pressure mounts on Moscow to negotiate peace in Ukraine.

In response to the escalating threat, President Trump confirmed that the U.S. will send additional Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. He noted that the European Union would finance the purchase of what he described as "various pieces of very sophisticated" U.S. weaponry.

That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump’s threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn’t cut a peace deal in next 50 days “a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.”

President Donald Trump issues Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline to end Ukraine war or face 100% tariffs, prompting skepticism from the EU's chief diplomat and Kyiv's mayor over 50-day timeframe.

Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened "biting" secondary tariffs of 100% on the buyers of Russian exports unless there is a peace deal in 50 days.

And so it was, just two days after Donald Trump revealed he had decided to lift his administration’s pause on the supply of US-made weapons to Ukraine, that Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov,