President Trump played down the possibility of new sanctions on Moscow and said he would know in about two weeks if Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to ending its war in Ukraine.“If I think I’m close to getting a deal,

The U.S. Senate is set to move ahead next week with a bill imposing more sanctions on Russia over its three-year-old war in Ukraine, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Friday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham said the Senate is likely to “start moving” on new punishing sanctions against Russia next week because of the lack of progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine.

When President Donald Trump spoke last week by telephone with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader committed to drafting and sending what he described as a “memorandum of peace” in the coming days laying out Russian requirements for a ceasefire with Ukraine,

Trump has held off on such penalties for months, believing he could have fruitful dealings with Putin to end the war and considering sanctions in general to be overused and often ineffective.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believed President Donald Trump was ready to impose sanctions on Russia after the two world leaders met at the Vatican last month, according to remarks released Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump is apparently growing frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin over increased attacks against Ukraine. Trump has been trying to get Russia to agree to a ceasefire in the more than three-year-old war.

After their Vatican meeting last month, the Ukrainian leader said he was under the impression Trump would impose sanctions on Russia if no ceasefire deal was reached.

A group of G.O.P. senators has grown more vocal about urging penalties on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, offering a counterpoint to President Trump’s hands-off stance.

European shares remained stable on Tuesday, supported by defence stocks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened additional sanctions on Russia, though broader gains were restrained by ongoing caution over U.