Flattery and pressure — coupled with President Trump’s growing dissatisfaction with President Vladimir V. Putin — have helped build momentum for new economic punishments.

Is there a direct link between what US President Donald Trump says and what Russian President Vladimir Putin does? Certainly, the harsh words and bitter violence of recent days in Ukraine suggest the answer is maybe.

"With Putin, I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm going to bomb the s--t out of Moscow,'" Trump can be heard saying on the recording. "He said 'No way,' and I said, 'Way.' And then he goes,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia Thursday at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The two discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.

The president’s remarks during a cabinet meeting were the latest sign of his growing displeasure with the Russian leader.

A week ago today, Trump had an hourlong phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And after that, everything changed. The end of the affair: The U.S. president — who in January came into office claiming he could strike a peace deal with Putin on Day One;

President Trump appears to have updated his feelings about Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters at a cabinet meeting Tuesday: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: That was a war that that was a war that should have never happened and a lot of people are dying and it should end and I don't know -- we get we get we get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin for you want to know the truth.

President Donald Trump continued to express his displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 8 and said he was open to sanctioning him.