US President Donald Trump’s 50-day pause ahead of possible secondary sanctions on Russia gifts the Kremlin a window to exploit the incremental gains of recent weeks in Ukraine’s east.

Trump wanted to "make them feel the pain," as he put it on the July 4 call, the Financial Times reported, and force Russia into peace negotiations. Zelensky said Ukraine could hit the cities if the U.S. supplied the weapons, per the Post.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's ultimatum to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine within 50 days. Trump's promise of new military support for Kyiv has been criticized by Russia as promoting continued conflict,

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not ready for compromises” to end his brutal war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Post in an exclusive interview on Wednesday — but President Trump has the power to bring him to his knees by speeding up tough sanctions that could cause a “social explosion” in Russia.

In June, Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing a total of 2,368 Ukrainian drones, with an average of almost 79 drones per day across the month. Thus far in July, the Defense Ministry said it has downed 1,516 Ukrainian drones, with a daily average of 89 drones.

Ukraine’s capacity to strike Russia’s major cities has come under the spotlight since President Trump asked if Kyiv could do so.

India's Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asserts the nation's readiness to handle potential disruptions in Russian oil imports, even with possible sanctions from the US and NATO. Alternative suppliers like Guyana,

The West is waging a full-scale war against Russia, and Moscow should respond in full, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said.Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council,