Why Trump Has Changed Tack With Russia and What’s Next

The U.S. president is giving the green light to new weapons shipments to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia as negotiations with Moscow over its war stall.

President Donald Trump (L) with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on July 8, 2025. Evan Vucci/AP Photo

President Donald Trump has taken action against Russian leadership as Moscow continues to rebuff international calls for a cease-fire in Ukraine.

Trump is looking to arm Ukraine with additional defensive weapons and has endorsed a plan to hammer Moscow with new sanctions until Russia comes back to the negotiating table in good faith.

This follows a series of intensive Russian attacks against urban centers in Ukraine over the past week, and a wide-ranging phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump said did not yield any progress.

Putin has consistently rebuffed the Trump administration’s demands that it work toward a cease-fire in Ukraine, saying that he supports ending the war but only on Russia’s terms.

Here’s what to know about the White House’s pivot on Moscow.

Call With Putin a Turning Point

Trump’s increasing commitment to furnish Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend itself follows a July 4 call with Putin. The call was the sixth such conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January.

No progress toward a cease-fire was made on the call, however, and Trump told reporters afterward that he was “very disappointed” with the conversation.

What’s more, something about the conversation appeared to convince Trump that Putin was not interested in cease-fire negotiations at all.

“I don’t think he’s looking to stop,” Trump said of Putin.

Hours after the call, Russia launched what was its largest aerial assault on Ukraine to date, including a combination of more than 550 drones and missiles.

Just days later, on July 9, Russia launched an even larger attack that struck targets in civilian centers in Ukraine. That attack incorporated more than 700 drones, mostly provided by Iran, and more than a dozen ballistic missiles.

Following the Trump-Putin call, Trump also held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the conversation as “very important and productive.”

From what’s been made public of the call, Trump and Zelenskyy discussed how to best strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to prevent further civilian casualties, as well as the possibility of a future joint weapons venture.

Trump described the call with Zelenskyy as “very good.”

Trump Open to Sending Ukraine More Weapons

Trump has since expressed some support for sending Ukraine additional weapons, including more Patriot air defense systems, which are crucial to Kyiv’s capacity for intercepting Russian missiles.

Trump said on July 8 that Putin was “not treating human beings right” and that Ukraine needed to have the ability to defend itself from Russian aggression.

“It’s killing too many people, so we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that,” Trump said.

Those comments marked a sharp departure from a recent pause on some arms exports to Ukraine by the Pentagon, which Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said was necessary to ensure all weapons shipments were in line with Trump’s “America First” platform.

That pause prevented the planned shipment of several key weapons platforms to Ukraine, including guided rocket systems, anti-armor missiles, and howitzer rounds.

The Pentagon has since begun delivering more weapons to Ukraine. It is unclear at this time whether the Patriot system is among them.

Kyiv has repeatedly asked Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and defense systems, which it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.

New Sanctions Against Russia and Its Partners Likely

Trump has also endorsed a Senate bill to impose new sanctions on Russia’s oil industry in an effort to push Putin back to talks.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said earlier in July that Trump gave him the green light to push forward with a new bill he’s cosponsoring that would establish a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil.

If passed, the bill could have wide-reaching consequences for Russia’s key economic partners, including China and India.

Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that the bill had strong bipartisan support and would “enhance President Trump’s leverage at the negotiating table and help end the bloodshed in Ukraine.”

“Senate Republicans are committed to working with the House and White House to get this legislation through Congress and onto the president’s desk,” Thune said.

Trump has long threatened to further sanction Russia’s oil industry but has thus far held off. His support for the new bill signals a fundamental shift in strategy regarding Russia.

It also comes as the administration contends with Russia’s growing ties to other adversarial nations, including China, Iran, and North Korea.

North Korean state-owned media announced on July 9 that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to North Korea for a three-day visit to further strengthen ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korea has sent thousands of combat troops and massive amounts of munitions to Russia to assist in its war effort, which Pyongyang considers a proxy war against the United States and its allies.

The U.S. administration’s hopes to end the war without further bloodshed appear to be dimming, in no small part because of Moscow’s refusals to negotiate a cease-fire.

To that end, Vice President JD Vance acknowledged in May that Russia was demanding too much in negotiations, including by asking Ukraine to surrender territory that Russian forces have still failed to occupy.

Whether Russia is feeling any greater need to engage in dialogue now that Trump is signaling a willingness to back Ukraine more firmly remains an open question.

Speaking to reporters on July 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump often used “a tough style” when speaking but could probably still be negotiated with.

“We hope to continue our dialogue with Washington and our course aimed at repairing the badly damaged bilateral ties,” Peskov said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.