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.”

When Donald Trump announced a sweeping package of Russian sanctions and weapons for Ukraine on Monday, it caught the world by surprise.

Experts fear Russia could emply battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine after being given 50 days to stop the fighting by the US