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Major US ice cream makers on Monday announced plans to phase out their use of artificial dyes following pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eliminate unnecessary additives from the American diet.The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), which includes over 40 top ice cream brands, said its members would stop using petroleum-derived synthetic colorings by the end of 2027.These chemicals have been linked in studies to conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, and genomic disruption, yet serve no nutritional or functional purpose beyond cosmetic coloring, health advocates have long argued.”I’m particularly happy to be here today because this is relevant to my favorite food, which is ice cream,” Kennedy said at a press event, lauding the dairy industry for its actions.”This is a great day for dairy and it’s a great day for Make America Healthy Again,” added the IDFA’s President and CEO Michael Dykes, referencing Kennedy’s MAHA slogan that is a play on President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” or MAGA.Andy Jacobs, CEO of Turkey Hill, said many commercial ice cream manufacturers had already phased out artificial colors or were in the process of doing so. “By taking this step now, ice cream manufacturers are ensuring that ice cream remains a special part of our lives as consumer preferences change and the nation’s regulatory priorities evolve,” he said.Industry data shows Americans consume roughly 19 pounds (8.6 kg) of ice cream a year. The frozen treat contributes an estimated $12 billion to the economy and supports more than 27,000 dairy industry jobs.In April, Kennedy announced plans to revoke authorization for two synthetic dyes and to “work with industry” to eliminate six more — an approach critics dismissed as too soft and overly reliant on voluntary action.- Peer pressure -By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in one of its final acts under president Joe Biden finalized a rule to actually ban Red Dye No. 3, one of the most widely used and controversial colorings.Yet there are signs that Kennedy’s peer pressure strategy is yielding some results.Major food manufacturers including Nestle, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and PepsiCo have already signed on to ditch artificial dyes.Kennedy on Monday said between “35 and 40 percent” of the food industry has now pledged to make the shift, but it was notable the ice cream makers’ pledge pushes past the health secretary’s original target of end-2026, giving companies an extra year to adjust their supply chains.And key holdouts remain — for example Mars, the maker of M&M’s and Skittles, and its subsidiary Kellogg’s, whose Froot Loops still use Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, and Yellow 6 in the US, even though the same cereal is artificial dye-free in places like Canada.At the same time, Trump’s FDA has fast-tracking natural-dye based alternatives, adding gardenia (genipin) blue to the list on Monday, the fourth such approval in two months. 

US President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday to end its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions as he laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO.Trump said he was “very, very unhappy” with Vladimir Putin, underlining his insistence that his patience had finally snapped with the Russian leader’s refusal to end his three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.”We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.The Republican added that they would be “secondary tariffs” that target Russia’s remaining trade partners — seeking to cripple Moscow’s ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions.Trump and Rutte also unveiled a deal under which the NATO military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the United States — including Patriot anti-missile batteries — and then send them to Ukraine.”This is really big,” said Rutte, as he touted a deal aimed at easing Trump’s long-held complaints that the US is paying more than European and NATO allies to aid Ukraine.Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Britain were among the buyers helping Ukraine, added the NATO chief.”If I was Vladimir Putin today and heard you speaking… I would reconsider that I should take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously,” said Rutte.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he had spoken with Trump and was “grateful” for the arms deal.- ‘Very long time’ -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin would play a “decisive role” in the new weapons plan.But EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Trump’s sanctions deadline was too far into the future. “Fifty days is a very long time if we see that they are killing innocent civilians every day,” she said.Trump attempted a rapprochement with Putin shortly after starting his second term, in a bid to honor his election campaign pledge to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.His pivot towards Putin sparked fears in Kyiv that he was about to sell out Ukraine, especially after Trump and his team berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28.But in recent weeks Trump has shown increasing frustration with Putin as the Russian leader, instead of halting his invasion, stepped up missile and drone attacks to record levels.Washington has also U-turned from an announcement earlier this month that it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv.Trump said his wife Melania had helped changed his thinking about Putin, a man for whom he formerly expressed admiration.”I go home, I tell the First Lady, ‘you know, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation.’,” Trump said. “And she said, ‘Oh really? Another city was just hit.'”He added of Putin: “I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy.”- ‘Better late than never’ -US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who are pushing a bipartisan bill on Russia secondary sanctions, praised Trump’s “powerful” move.”The ultimate hammer to bring about the end of this war will be tariffs against countries, like China, India and Brazil, that prop up Putin’s war machine,” they said in a statement.Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Monday for what Zelensky called a “productive meeting.”One Ukrainian soldier deployed in the war-scarred east of the country, who identified himself by his call sign Grizzly, welcomed Trump’s promise of fresh air defense systems. “Better late than never,” the 29-year-old told AFP.Russian forces meanwhile said on Monday they had captured new territory in eastern Ukraine with the seizure of one village in the Donetsk region and another in the Zaporizhzhia region.Its forces also killed at least three civilians in the eastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions on Monday, Ukrainian officials said.In Kyiv, Zelensky also proposed a major political shake-up, recommending economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko take over new prime minister, and appointing current premier Prime Minister Denys Shmygal as defense minister.burs-dk/sms

A growing wildfire at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim has now charred at least 50 structures, including a historic lodge inside the popular US tourist site and natural wonder, authorities said Monday.Hundreds of firefighters working from the air and ground in Arizona are battling the so-called Dragon Bravo blaze.More than 500 tourists and park staffers have been evacuated since the fire broke out on July 4, apparently from a lightning strike.On Saturday night the flames intensified quickly due to sustained winds gusting at up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour, the National Park Service said.According to early assessments, the fire has burned down between 50 and 80 structures, including administrative buildings, a water treatment facility, and a historic building called Grand Canyon Lodge.It is the only place on the North Rim inside the park where visitors can spend the night. It was rebuilt in the 1930s after being destroyed in a fire and declared a national historic monument in 1987.Burning for over a week, the fire was initially managed by federal authorities in a confine and contain strategy — rather than being tackled aggressively to try to put it out.Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has criticized the approach and called for an independent probe.”An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response,” she wrote on X.”They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park,” the Democratic governor wrote.Authorities announced the North Rim is now closed for the remainder of the tourism season running through mid-October.Firefighters are also battling a second blaze around 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of the Dragon Bravo fire in Kaibab National Forest.Roads have been closed down too but the more popular South Rim of the canyon remains open.Dozens of fires are burning in the western United States as the country goes into a dry and dangerous season for wildfires.   The region faces additional challenges because the Trump administration has cut funding and staff at federal agencies that work to prevent and grapple with fires and other natural disasters.One of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a chasm up to 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep.Last year almost five million people visited the world-famous site.

The X account of Sesame Street’s Elmo, a beloved children’s TV character, shared antisemitic and anti-Donald Trump posts after being hacked on Sunday.A slew of messages calling for the extermination of Jewish people and labeling the US president a “puppet” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were shared on the account.Around 650,000 users follow Elmo, the fuzzy red monster who teaches his young audience about kindness and patience.An archived version of the X account showed several messages were published on Sunday afternoon. They were later removed, although a link to a Telegram page apparently associated with the hack remained in the account’s bio section.Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, said that an unidentified hacker was behind the posts.”Elmo’s X account was briefly compromised yesterday by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” a spokesperson told AFP in a statement.”The account has since been secured,” they added.The hacking on Elon Musk’s X platform is the latest in a string of hate speech incidents since the billionaire bought then-Twitter in 2022 and axed moderation policies that he considers censorship.On Saturday, his xAI startup apologized for antisemitic posts published on X by its artificial intelligence assistant Grok, which praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Antisemitism is facing particular scrutiny in the United States after two Israeli embassy staffers were killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington in May.  A firebombing attack at a protest in Colorado supporting Israeli hostages held in Gaza left over a dozen people wounded in June, and an 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries.Anger over Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza resulted in widespread protests on US university campuses, with the government cracking down on the demonstrations after accusing them of antisemitism. 

A SpaceX capsule carrying an international crew from India, Poland, Hungary, and the United States has departed the International Space Station and is set to splash down off the coast of California.Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, undocked from the orbital lab at 7:15 am ET (1115 GMT) on Monday, beginning a 22.5-hour journey back to Earth.Splashdown is scheduled for 5:31 ET (0931 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. “Thank you very much for your support. You guys are amazing,” Commander Peggy Whitson, an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut, told flight controllers in Houston.Also aboard are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.Axiom Space is a private company that organizes missions to the International Space Station, flying both wealthy individuals and, as in this case, astronauts sponsored by their national governments. For the non-American trio, the mission marked a return to crewed spaceflight for their respective nations after decades-long absences.They launched from Kennedy Space Center on June 25 for what turned out to be a two-and-a-half-week mission, during which they conducted around 60 scientific experiments.For rising space power India, the flight served as a key stepping stone toward its first independent crewed mission, scheduled for 2027 under the Gaganyaan (“sky craft”) program.Shukla held a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in what was widely viewed as a significant soft power moment. He recounted sharing the sweet dish gajar ka halwa with his crewmates aboard the station.This will be only SpaceX’s second crew recovery in the Pacific Ocean. The first occurred in April with the return of the Fram-2 mission. SpaceX has since shifted permanently to West Coast splashdowns, citing incidents where debris from Dragon’s trunk survived atmospheric reentry and crashed back to Earth.

US President Donald Trump on Monday told Russia to resolve its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions as he laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv.”We’re very, very unhappy” with Russia, Trump told reporters as he met with NATO chief Mark Rutte in the White House.”We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent,” said Trump, adding that they would be “secondary tariffs” that target Russia’s remaining trade partners — thereby seeking to cripple Moscow’s ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions.Trump and Rutte also unveiled a deal under which the NATO military alliance would buy arms from the United States — including Patriot anti-missile batteries — and then distribute them to Ukraine to help it battle Russia’s invasion.”This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO… and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield,” Trump said.Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, said Ukraine would get “massive numbers” of weapons under the deal.Trump launched a bid at rapprochement with Putin shortly after starting his second term in January, as he sought to honor his election campaign promise to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.His pivot towards Putin sparked fears in Kyiv that he was about to sell out Ukraine, especially after Trump and his team berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February.- ‘Assassin’ -But Trump has shown growing anger and frustration with Putin in recent weeks as the Russian leader, instead of halting his three-year invasion, instead stepped up attacks.Trump added of Putin on Monday: “I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy.”Last week, Trump had teased an announcement on Monday on Russia. He then announced on Sunday that he would send vital Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to help it fend off escalating barrages of Russian attacks.Washington has also U-turned from an announcement earlier this month that it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv.Rutte’s visit to the White House is the first since the former Dutch prime minister described Trump as “daddy” at a NATO summit in The Hague in June.Moscow has unleashed record waves of drone and missile strikes over the past few weeks, with the number of Ukrainian civilians killed or wounded in June hitting a three-year high, according to UN figures.Trump’s announcement on Monday came as his special envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv to meet Zelensky.Zelensky hailed the “productive meeting”, saying they had discussed “strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, joint production, and procurement of defense weapons in collaboration with Europe.”The Ukrainian leader also said he was “grateful to President Trump for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries.”- ‘Better late than never’ -One Ukrainian soldier deployed in the war-scarred east of the country, who identified himself by his call sign Grizzly, welcomed Trump’s promise of fresh air defense systems. “Better late than never,” he told AFP.”Because while we are here defending the front line, our families are unprotected. Thanks to the Patriots they are giving us, our families will be safer,” the 29-year-old added.Russian forces meanwhile said on Monday they had captured new territory in eastern Ukraine with the seizure of two villages, one in the Donetsk region and another in the Zaporizhzhia region.Its forces also killed at least three civilians in the eastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions on Monday, regional Ukrainian officials announced.In Kyiv, Zelensky also proposed a major political shake-up, recommending economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko take over as the country’s new prime minister.Svyrydenko said on social media that Ukraine was facing a “crucial time.”burs-dk/md/sms

Britain will welcome Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit in September, Buckingham Palace confirmed Monday, saying he would stay as the guest of King Charles III at Windsor Castle.The US president, “accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a state visit to the United Kingdom from 17 September to 19 September 2025,” said a palace statement.The visit will come only two months after Charles, and his wife Queen Camilla, welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to Windsor.Trump was invited by a personal letter from Charles, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed to him in February during a visit to Washington.Starmer has sought to woo Trump with a charm offensive to boost ties and gain better leverage for the UK in tough trade talks with Washington.A delighted Trump, who has long been a big fan of the British royal family, has called the invitation a “very great honour”, and opened the letter from the king in the glare of the world’s cameras.”This is really special, this has never happened before, this is unprecedented,” Starmer said in the Oval Office as he handed Trump the hand-signed letter from the monarch.”This is truly historic.”Security is likely to be tight for the September trip, after Trump’s earlier state visit in 2019 attracted large protests. The Stop Trump Coalition is already planning a large demonstration in London on September 17.The US president is widely unpopular in Britain, and a YouGov poll in March found that 78 percent of those surveyed had a negative view of Trump, compared to just 16 percent with a positive view.Britain rolled out the red carpet for Trump in 2019 when he met the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles’s mother. No foreign leader has ever had a second state visit.The Times daily said the king had however sought to put off the new visit until later in Trump’s second term, but “Starmer has gone against the wishes of the king” in bringing the visit forward.”The prime minister has expedited a full ‘bells and whistles’ visit in an attempt to capitalise on the president’s fascination with the royal family,” The Times said.- Canada concerns -Starmer will also meet with Trump this month when the Republican leader is expected to visit Scotland, where he has two golf resorts.The White House has not publicly confirmed the trip, but Downing Street said Monday Trump would be “visiting in a private capacity” and “the prime minister is pleased to take up the president’s invite to meet during his stay”.The devolved Scottish government said First Minister John Swinney would also meet Trump and it was working “on arrangements with partners including Police Scotland”.Trump’s threats against Canada have put Charles, who is the country’s head of state, in a delicate position.Trump has threatened to slap a 35 percent tariff on imports from Canada starting August 1 and has regularly mused that Canada should become the 51st US state.Reading the letter aloud in the Oval Office in February, Trump said he had been invited to the historic Windsor Castle, near London, one of the royal family’s ancient homes.Trump, whose mother was Scottish, said of Charles: “He’s a beautiful man, a wonderful man — I’ve gotten to know him very well, actually. First term and now second term.”Unlike Macron, who addressed the British parliament during his state visit last week, Trump is not currently scheduled to address the House of Commons which will be then on a break. During the French leader’s visit last week, Britain laid on a pomp-filled welcome, including a horse-drawn procession and a lavish banquet in the castle where the leaders hailed a new era in UK-France relations.

Donald Trump was reportedly expected to lay out Monday a fresh strategy for arming Ukraine as his special envoy arrived in Kyiv after weeks of the US president’s growing frustration with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.In a U-turn that has highlighted concerns in Kyiv over the consistency of American support, Trump said this weekend that he would send vital Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine to help it fend off escalating barrages of Russian attacks.Major US outlets like the New York Times and Axios reported Trump will announce a plan that also includes offensive weapons for Ukraine.Putin has refused to halt his more than three-year invasion despite being corralled into peace talks with Ukraine by Trump, drawing increasing scorn and anger from the US president.Moscow has also unleashed record waves of drone and missile strikes over the past few weeks, with the number of Ukrainian civilians killed or wounded in June hitting a three-year high, according to UN figures.The Republican has teased a “major statement” on Russia to be made later on Monday, with NATO chief Mark Rutte visiting the White House.In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelensky hailed a “productive meeting” with Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg.”We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer,” Zelensky wrote on social media after the meeting.”This includes strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe,” he added. Zelensky also said he was “grateful to President Trump for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries,” in an apparent reference to the pledge of new Patriots.Washington had said earlier this month it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv but Trump has changed tack, criticising Putin for intensifying attacks as US-led peace talks stalled.- ‘Better late than never’ -Trump has also hinted he might be ready to slap sanctions on Moscow as momentum grows for a deterrent package in Congress.When asked about whether he would announce any levies against Russia, Trump responded on Sunday: “We’re going to see what we will see tomorrow, OK?”Zelensky has called for fresh sanctions on Russia and countries that aid its war efforts.”It is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its unreasonable ambitions are curbed through strength,” Zelensky said. Asked what Europe expects from Trump’s announcement later Monday, a German government source said: “In concrete terms I think it means that from the US side, there will be approvals for the delivery of certain weapons.” “There is an expectation from the American side that there will be considerable financial contributions to this end from the European side,” the source added.One Ukrainian soldier deployed in the war-scarred east of the country, who identified himself by his call sign Grizzly, welcomed Trump’s promise of fresh air defence systems. “Better late than never,” he told AFP.”Because while we are here defending the front line, our families are unprotected. Thanks to the Patriots they are giving us, our families will be safer,” the 29-year-old added.Russian forces meanwhile said on Monday they had captured new territory in eastern Ukraine with the seizure of two villages, one in the Donetsk region and another in the Zaporizhzhia region.Moscow claimed to have annexed both almost three years ago despite not having full military control over them. Its forces also killed at least three civilians in the eastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions on Monday, regional Ukrainian officials announced.In Kyiv, Zelensky also proposed a major political shake-up, recommending economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko take over as the country’s new prime minister to “significantly renew” the government’s work.Svyrydenko led negotiations on the US-Ukraine minerals deal that had triggered tensions between Zelensky and Trump after the Republican returned to the White House.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met Monday with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and discussed air defence and sanctions on Russia during a “productive” conversation, the Ukrainian leader said.Kellogg’s visit — more than three years into the Kremlin’s invasion — comes as Russian forces killed three civilians in eastern Ukraine and launched dozens of long-range drones at targets across the country. The envoy arrived in Kyiv just one day after US President Donald Trump announced new Patriot air defence systems supplies to Ukraine, in a U-turn that has underscored concerns in Kyiv over the consistency of American support.”We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer,” Zelensky wrote on social media.”This includes strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe,” he added. The Ukrainian president also called for fresh sanctions on Russia and countries that aid its war efforts, and urged US leadership on confronting Moscow.”It is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its unreasonable ambitions are curbed through strength,” Zelensky said. Washington said this month it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv but Trump has changed tack, criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin for intensifying attacks as US-led peace talks stalled.- ‘Better late than never’ -Trump said this weekend Washington would also supply Kyiv with more Patriot air defence batteries, but added that the United States would not pay for them.One Ukrainian solider deployed in the war-scarred east of the country, who identified himself by his call sign Grizzly, welcomed Trump’s announcement. “Better late than never,” he told AFP.”Because while we are here defending the front line, our families are unprotected. Thanks to the Patriots they are giving us, our families will be safer,” the 29-year-old added.Kellogg’s visit comes as the US president is set to meet with NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington later on Monday.Trump has said he would issue a “major statement” on the war on Monday.Russian forces meanwhile said on Monday they had claimed new territory in eastern Ukraine with the capture of two villages, one in the Donetsk region and another in the Zaporizhzhia region.Moscow claimed to have annexed both almost three years ago despite not having full military control over them. Its forces also killed at least three civilians in the eastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions on Monday, regional Ukrainian officials announced.Moscow has stepped up aerial strikes on Ukraine over recent months, launching hundreds of drones almost on a daily basis.The Ukrainian air force said Monday Russia had launched 136 drones and four missiles at Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump is hosting the NATO chief in Washington on Monday after teasing a “major statement” on Russia’s war in Ukraine, with senior Republicans preparing an arsenal of sanctions against Moscow. Trump, seeking to negotiate an end to the three-year war, has expressed growing impatience with the Kremlin leader, and over the weekend announced a fresh weapons cache for Ukraine. “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump said Sunday, referring to the air defense system. He did not specify how many weapons he would send, but added that he would make a “major statement… on Russia” on Monday, when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will be in Washington.The White House has U-turned from an announcement earlier this month that it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv, instead announcing a new deal which would involve NATO purchasing some US weapons to send to Ukraine.In a statement, NATO said Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and will also meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Rutte’s 10 am (1400 GMT) Oval Office meeting on Monday will be closed to media.”We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100 percent for them,” Trump said.”It’ll be business for us,” he added.Trump also repeated that he was “disappointed” in Putin, as he grows increasingly exasperated with the Russian leader.”Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said on Sunday, as he returned from watching the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey.Last week, Trump accused Putin of throwing “bullshit” at Washington on Ukraine, openly frustrated with the impasse on peace efforts.As he began his second stint in office in January, Trump insisted he could work with the Russian leader to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, and held off on hiking sanctions, unlike Kyiv’s European allies.But Russia has for months refused a ceasefire proposed by the United States and Ukraine.Trump has hinted he might be ready to slap sanctions on Moscow as momentum grows for a deterrent package in Congress.When asked about whether he would announce any levies against Russia, Trump responded: “We’re going to see what we will see tomorrow, OK?” and repeated plans to meet with Rutte.- ‘Sledgehammer’ -Republican senators meanwhile are touting a bipartisan bill that would arm Trump with a “sledgehammer” to use against Russia.The sanctions bill would allow Trump “to go after Putin’s economy, and all those countries who prop up the Putin war machine,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told broadcaster CBS news.It “would give President Trump the ability to impose 500 percent tariffs on any country that helps Russia,” said Graham, adding that those could include economies that purchase Russian goods like China, India or Brazil.”This is truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end this war,” said Graham.Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal were also due to meet NATO’s Rutte on Monday.Blumenthal told CBS news they would also discuss the legally thorny issue of unlocking frozen Russian assets in Europe and the United States for access by Ukraine.”The $5 billion that the United States has also could be accessed, and I think it’s time to do it,” said Blumenthal.Zelensky said the proposed bill “is exactly the kind of leverage that can bring peace closer and make sure diplomacy is not empty”. The Kremlin has previously said that sending arms to Ukraine would only prolong the conflict.Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has shown little appetite for ending the conflict despite pressure from Trump.Over the summer, Russia has escalated its offensive and advanced the front line, launching some of the largest missile and drone attacks of the war.