Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.

The US ambassador to NATO said China needed to be “called out for their subsidizing” of Russia’s war in Ukraine as the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to impose tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal.

During a press briefing, Leavitt stumbled when asked to account for the president’s paltry plan to impose tariffs on Russia. She’d previously claimed that U.S. sanctions “preclude any meaningful trade” between the two countries, as a means of explaining why Russia was exempt from the president’s sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with his Russian counterpart over the Kremlin's unwillingness to engage in peace negotiations on Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, described Trump's statement as "very serious" during his daily press briefing on Tuesday, July 15. Peskov said Putin would need time to analyze Trump's remarks, some of which were directed at him, and to decide whether to comment.

The US literally pulled Russia out of Western isolation, where it had been sent after its invasion of Ukraine. Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House changed the trajectory of relations ...