When President Donald Trump sided with Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence community on the topic of Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election, then-Sen. Marco Rubio sharply rebuked Trump.

Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said accusations made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about the Obama administration are "a lie." "Now what Tulsi is doing-it's a little sleight of hand,

The latest talks could be an early litmus test on how seriously Moscow perceives President Trump's threats to impose sanctions — and how Russia might respond.

Earlier this month, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, threatening fresh sanctions and tariffs if it failed to do so. Trump also announced new military support for Kyiv, with a particular focus on strengthening Ukraine's anti-drone and anti-missile defenses.

The warring sides are still far apart heading into the third round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations, set for Wednesday in Istanbul.

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.

The Kremlin is sticking to its war demands, even as President Trump makes new threats of sanctions that would go into effect if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine in less than 50 days.

On the face of it, the US involvement in Ukraine bears little similarity to the 20-year Afghanistan war, not least because there are no American boots on the ground in Europe.