“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.”

President Trump has effectively handed Vladimir Putin an extraordinary green light: 50 days to finish off his brutal summer offensive in Ukraine before facing any consequences.

A Russian official says American Daniel Martindale has been rewarded with citizenship for spying on Ukraine, "by decree of our President Vladimir Putin."

WASHINGTON — Ever since his political rise a decade ago, Donald Trump has sung the praises of Vladimir Putin — the Russian president was a “strong leader” who, perhaps more important, would often say “very good things” about him.

Donald Trump has announced a weapons deal for Ukraine that he said was worth billions of dollars, and threatened 100 per cent tariffs on Russia if there was no deal to end the fighting within 50 days.

President Donald Trump is finally taking the fight to Vladimir Putin. Sort of. For now. Trump’s deference to Russia’s authoritarian leader has been one of the most enduring geopolitical subplots of the past decade.

The contradictory stories come as Trump, finally, announces new sanctions to counter Russia and more military aid to Ukraine.

Donald Trump’s remarks on Ukraine on Monday were far from the biggest announcement the US president could have made.