This week marked a possible pivot by President Donald Trump regarding Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump’s threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn’t cut a peace deal in next 50 days “a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.”

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed at least 70 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning. Among the areas targeted was the southwestern Voronezh region, which borders northeastern Ukraine. At least 24 people were injured there, Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram.

A bipartisan bill in Congress would enable President Trump to slap "bone-crushing sanctions" on Russia, says Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Kyiv was able to hit Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to a senior Ukrainian official familiar with their exchange in a July 4 phone call.

Ukrainians have begun to credit First Lady Melania Trump for her husband’s 180 on support for Russia and President Vladimir Putin in their all out war on Ukraine.

Pentagon officials said details were still being worked out, and experts doubted Mr. Trump’s threat of huge tariffs for Russian trading partners.