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 continued its nightly bombardment of Ukrainian cities overnight into Tuesday, after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would send military equipment to Kyiv.

President Donald Trump is downplaying the possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as Kyiv awaits an injection of U.S. weaponry that it hopes will help it beat back an intensifying Russian air offensive.

The White House has played down reports that Donald Trump privately encouraged Volodymyr Zelensky to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg. That's despite the US president's promise to deliver more weapons to Ukraine via NATO allies,

Donald Trump has issued a 50-day ultimatum threatening sanctions on Russia’s economy by targeting its trading partners to pressure an end to the Ukraine war. Russia is taking the threats seriously but remains ready to respond.

Donald Trump has not been the biggest supporter of Ukraine in the war against Russia. Despite Russia being the invader, Trump has not shown support for Ukraine during his presidential campaign, and the same went