But his frustration with Putin has grown. Last week, the president said the United States was taking “a lot of bullshit” from Putin. Today, he authorized a significant shipment of U.S. defensive weapons to Ukraine via NATO and threatened Russia with new tariffs if the war does not end in 50 days.

Trump's threat against Russia runs parallel to a Senate-led effort to pass crippling sanctions on countries that buy Russian energy.

“Putin will not negotiate as a loser,” one of his longtime associates tells TIME by phone from Moscow. “He knows that winners don’t get punished, and if he wins, all of this” — the sanctions, the tariffs — “will go away.”

Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelensky should not target Moscow after reportedly privately discussing strikes on the Russian capital with the Ukrainian leader."No, he shouldn't target Moscow," Mr Trump told reporters yesterday on the South Lawn of the White House when asked if Mr Zelensky should attack the Russian capital.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed US President Donald Trump's shift on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ansa reports. Meloni emphasized that Russia does not seek peace despite the United States' willingness to engage in dialogue.

As scattered details of the apparent suicide of Russia’s former transport minister Roman Starovoit trickled in via state media on Monday, one stood out. Near his body, the Kommersant newspaper reported,

The president left the door open for talks with his Russian counterpart but complained about Russia’s continued aerial attacks on Ukraine.