U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.

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.

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.

Tinatin Japaridze, an analyst with Eurasia Group, joined "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss the latest in the Russia-Ukraine war.

President Donald Trump on Monday laid out a pair of steps intended to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine, including funneling new weapons to Kyiv and threatening economic punishment on Moscow if peace isn’t reached in 50 days,

Drones that kill other drones. These machines swarm the skies in vast numbers. They're cheap, they're deadly and they're among the main reasons Ukraine believes it can hold out against advancing Russian forces this year and even beyond,

One of Vladimir Putin's mouthpieces has warned Donald Trump that he is pushing Russia towards nuclear war. After pledging to deliver more weapons to Ukraine - including the prized Patriot air defence systems - the US president rattled the Kremlin further and threatened to unleash additional sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate a ceasefire deal in 50 days.

Kremlin figure, President Donald Trump’s image is changing inside Russia. It comes after Trump vowed further sanctions on the country if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached in 50 days. CNN’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent is on the ground in Moscow with the analysis.