U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.

Russian officials and commentators have shown little indication that Moscow is about to change course under new pressure.

More than a dozen countries stand in the crosshairs of Trump's threat to impose 100% tariffs over their economic ties to Russia.

As Russia delays peace negotiations with Ukraine, U.S. elected officials in Congress are considering a new sanctions bill to force Russia to end its war.

The 27 EU member states have agreed an 18th sanctions package targeting Russia for invading Ukraine after being blocked for weeks by Slovakia. The sanctions are intended to further reduce Russian revenues from the export of oil to non-EU countries and impact the Russian financial sector.

The USD/RUB exchange rate reacted to the US and Russian consumer inflation data released this week. A report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that the headline inflation rose from 2.3% in May to 2.7% in June.

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".

Pentagon officials said details were still being worked out, and experts doubted Mr. Trump’s threat of huge tariffs for Russian trading partners.

Georgia was the poster child of post-Soviet countries on their way to democracy and freedom. US lawmakers hope a bill will help combat democratic backsliding.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a severe warning to Denmark and the United States, indicating that Russia will not remain passive if tensions over Greenland escalate into full-blown conflict.