Trump's 'major Russia announcement' has something that could shift trajectory of war: Offensive weapons

US President Donald Trump will make a "major Russia announcement" on Monday, which is likely to be "very aggressive", according to reports. Trump, whose relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to have soured, openly criticised his Russian counterpart, stating he "really surprised a lot of people - he talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening".

While it is expected that the Senate could pass a bipartisan bill implementing sanctions on Moscow, reports hint that there could be more. This includes sending "offensive weapons" to Ukraine for the first time, according to Axios. So far, Trump has maintained that he would only provide defensive weapons to avoid escalating the conflict.

"The plan was likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow," the sources told Axios. If true, this could alter the current trajectory of the war and may even force Putin to the negotiation table.

However, it remains unclear whether a final decision was made in this regard.

The US President hinted on Sunday that the US could send Ukraine "various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment".  "We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need," he said, adding that though he had not decided on the number of Patriot batteries he would send to Ukraine, "they’re going to have some because they do need protection".

There were also reports that Trump is considering authorising additional funding for Ukraine for the first time since the start of his term, CBS News reported. The report added that though it is not clear where these new funds would come from, Trump has around $3.85 billion from the Presidential Drawdown Authority remaining from former US President Joe Biden.

As for sanctions, the bill which will not only be against Russia, but will also target countries like China and India that buy Russian energy products that finance Putin’s war machine," according to  Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Meanwhile, authorities in Kyiv believe anything short of a massive injection of military aid or crushing sanctions on Moscow will not bring Russia's full-scale invasion to a swift end on terms favourable to Kyiv.

Analysts also believe that Putin is prepared to risk his relationship with Trump to achieve his war goal. They believe Putin is prepared for Trump's ire and sanctions. “He will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Trump," Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, told The New York Times.

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