President Donald Trump is downplaying the possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as Kyiv awaits an injection of U.S. weaponry that it hopes will help it beat back an intensifying Russian air offensive.

The president’s call for Ukraine to avoid hitting Moscow continued his pattern of swinging between pressure on both sides to end the war and underscored the uncertainties about his strategy.

House Republicans were so livid about the idea of continuing to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression that they deposed their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in part to protest what

Trump said the United States would put secondary tariffs on countries that do business with Russia if a peace deal is not reached in 50 days.

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

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

During his campaign, Trump said bringing a quick end to the war was a top priority and that helping Ukraine was a waste of US taxpayer money.