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.

The US president spoke to reporters on the White House South Lawn on Tuesday afternoon, the day after he threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on Moscow

Angela Stent, senior fellow at Brookings Institution, says Russian President Vladimir Putin counted on Chinese President Xi Jinping's support when he invaded Ukraine – and continues to count on Beijing's economic support and diplomatic support on a global stage.

“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.”

Melania Trump has highlighted Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine in private conversations, President Trump said on Monday.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has attempted to expand its influence in the region – with mixed results.

President Trump now wants to give more weapons to Ukraine and is threatening increased sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to end the war in 50 days. The president explained why in a phone call with our partners at BBC News.