US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26, 2025 on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Vatican City, a handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in Kiev shows. Photo: VCG

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a new plan on Ukraine on Monday local time, including offer offensive weapons to Kiev, US media reported, describing it as a potential "major shift" of his stance. 

The Washington Post on Monday claimed that US President Trump on Sunday took a "dramatically tougher stance" on Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters that he was "disappointed" with him. 

Putin "talks nice and then he bombs everybody," Trump said late Sunday after saying the US would send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, according to the AP.  Trump also said European countries "are going to pay us 100% for them. It is going to be business for us," the Axios reported. 

The Washington Post claimed that "the tides now seem to be turning" after nearly two weeks passed since Ukrainian officials were caught off guard by the US' decision to pause weapons deliveries to Kiev.

Trump told reporters later Sunday that "we will see tomorrow" when asked whether he would announce sanctions against Russia, noting he'll meet on Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and pledged to send "very sophisticated military" to Ukraine, according to CNN. 

Meanwhile, some senators are urging quick action by the US, including the passage of a bipartisan bill they've introduced implementing sanctions on Moscow. The legislation would allow the US President to levy a 500 percent tariff on imports from countries that purchase Russian uranium, gas and oil, the CNN report. 

US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kiev on Monday.

"We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer," Zelensky wrote on X on Monday, after meeting with Kellogg. 

"This includes strengthening Ukraine's air defense, joint production, and procurement of defense weapons in collaboration with Europe. And of course, sanctions against Russia and those who help it."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was reserved in his comments on reports that the US will be supplying additional weaponry to Ukraine, according to the BBC. 

"A lot of words have been said about how expensive it is and so on. Now it looks like European countries will be paying for these supplies. Something they'll pay for, something they won't. But the fact remains that supplies of weapons, ammunition and military equipment from the US to Ukraine have continued and are continuing," Peskov said on Monday. 

The Kremlin spokesman said Russia is ready to hold another round of talks with Ukraine, but Ukraine is clearly not in a hurry to do so, according to a Tass report. 

Cui Hongjian, director and professor of the Center for European Union and Regional Development Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that while the US position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown some fluctuations recently, this primarily is more a tactical maneuver to increase pressure on Russia. 

"After hitting a wall in its attempts to mediate negotiations earlier this year, Washington now seeks to pressure Moscow through weaponized aid," Cui said. The expert noted the reimbursement model - where the EU rather than Ukraine directly pays for weapons - serves Washington's "America First" agenda.



Chen Xingyu contributed to this story.