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.

President Donald Trump is downplaying the possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as Kyiv awaits an injection of U.S. weaponry that it hopes will help it beat back an intensifying Russian air offensive.

Separately, on Thursday, bookmaker Star Sports offered odds of 7/2 (22.2 percent) on Trump securing the Nobel Peace Prize, placing him behind Navalnaya on 2/1 (33.3 percent) and ahead of Russian anti-war campaigner Alexei Gorinov on 6/1 (14.3 percent) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with 10/1 (9.1 percent).

Former Ukraine aid critics now back Trump's strategy requiring European funding for weapons to Kyiv after the president pivoted his frustration from Zelenskyy to Putin.

US President Donald Trump is trying again to end the war in Ukraine – not by targeting Russia, but by hitting the countries that buy Russia’s oil.

The latest bombardment in Russia’s escalating aerial campaign against civilian areas came ahead of a Sept. 2 deadline set by U.S. President Trump.