President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days or face bruising sanctions on its energy exports has given the Kremlin extra time to pursue its summer offensive.

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

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally".

The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.

In December 2022, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. agreed to give Ukraine a Patriot missile battery, an advanced ground-based air-defense system. Two more followed, along with an unknown number of interceptor missiles that have provided the only effective means of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles.

Russia and China's foreign ministers on Sunday discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin's foreign minister,

Russia does not care about Trump's ultimatum of sanctions unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in Ukraine, a senior security official said.

NATO allies will buy arms, then give them to Ukraine, President Trump said. Patriot air defense systems, missiles and ammunition are among the American-made weapons NATO allies will buy under an arms deal brokered with President Trump to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian attacks.