Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on June 7 criticized a weakened Russia sanctions bill amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring the Senate to weaken the legislation.

"We need to force (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to the negotiating table," Orpo said at the Finnish National Coalition Party’s assembly on June 7.

"I hope that the United States passes it as quickly and as completely as possible," Orpo told reporters at the assembly in Helsinki.

The White House is urging Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften a Russia sanctions bill he is leading, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 6, citing congressional staffers.

The bipartisan sanctions bill could introduce a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials.

"We will discuss these issues at the (NATO) summit... We should get decisions now," Orpo said.

A NATO summit is slated to take place June 24-26 in the Netherlands. The important meeting is expected to cover a wide range of issues, including defense spending and Russia's war against Ukraine.

At a June 5 joint press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said lawmakers were waiting for his approval before advancing the Russian sanctions bill.

"They'll be guided by me. That's how it's supposed to be," Trump said. "They're waiting for me to decide on what to do."

Senate Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who also leads the sanctions bill, has confirmed that negotiations have been taking place behind the scenes with White House officials.

Operation Spiderweb ‘gave Putin a reason to bomb the hell out of them,’ Trump says, following large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities

U.S. President Donald Trump on June 6 appeared to justify Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities launched the night before, in response to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb.

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat

The White House is urging Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften his sanctions bill against Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 6, citing congressional staffers.

The bipartisan sanctions bill, introduced on April 1 by Graham and Senate Democrat Richard Blumenthal, seeks to impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials.

In recent weeks, Trump administration officials have contacted Graham's office with requests to water down the legislation, congressional aides told the WSJ.

The White House reportedly asked Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may." Removing the mandatory language from the text would essentially defang the bill, staffers said.

Blumenthal confirmed that negotiations with Trump officials were taking place behind the scene but did not comment on the substance of the talks.

"We're moving ahead and the White House is included in our conversations," he told the WSJ.

‘Find and destroy’ – how Ukraine’s own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones

Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – From the moment the vehicles duck into pre-prepared positions in the leafy treeline to the first dead Russian soldiers, less than twenty

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Earlier, Republican Senator Roger Wicker on June 4 said that Trump had asked the Senate to postpone voting on the bill, which had been scheduled to come to the floor this week.

In a joint press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on June 5, Trump said lawmakers were waiting for his approval before advancing the sanctions bill.

"They'll be guided by me. That's how it's supposed to be," Trump said. "They're waiting for me to decide on what to do."

In the same briefing, Trump said that he had a deadline in mind for when he would enforce new sanctions on Russia but did not give specifics, saying only that sanctions would be imposed when it became clear that peace talks were not moving forward. He also said that sanctions could apply to both Russia and Ukraine.

"It takes two to tango," he said.

During the June 5 press conference, Trump compared Ukraine and Russia — which launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022 and partially occupies four Ukrainian regions in addition to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula — to children fighting on a playground.

"Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," he said.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if he does not see progress in peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

He has never followed through on any of these threats.

UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb

The attack killed three first responders in Kyiv and injured civilians across the country, including cities far from the front lines in western Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

As the US Senators are pushing for a sweeping bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy exports, “the only thing standing in the way is President Donald Trump,” according to Fox News.

According to Fox News, nearly the entire US Senate has united behind a sanctions bill authored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal that proposes imposing up to 500% tariffs on oil, gas, uranium, and other Russian energy exports. These measures are intended to put a financial chokehold on Russia’s war economy, particularly targeting its trade with China and India, which together account for about 75% of Moscow’s energy business.

Despite bipartisan backing from 82 senators, the legislation is stalled due to the White House’s reluctance to move forward. Republican John Kennedy, one of the co-sponsors, told Fox News Digital that “if President Trump asked me my opinion, I would tell them, ‘let’s go now.’”

Putin “gives the finger” to the entire world, Zelenskyy says after Trump’s call with Russian president

Trump’s peace talks falter while sanctions hang in the balance as Putin “not interested in peace”

The latest round of Kyiv-Moscow low-level talks in Istanbul on 2 June ended without a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s demands, including ceding large swaths of Ukrainian territory.

Graham and Blumenthal, who traveled to Ukraine during the Senate’s Memorial Day recess and met with Zelenskyy, have both expressed skepticism over Putin’s intentions. After a separate meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Graham stated, according to Fox News,

“It is our view Putin is not responding in kind, he is not interested in peace and that he plans to continue to dismember Ukraine.”

Blumenthal added that Trump “has been played” by Putin and described the Russian president as “totally unserious” about ending the conflict.

Sanctions seen as tool to support diplomacy

Despite Trump’s continued diplomatic efforts, other lawmakers told Fox News Digital they believe the sanctions would actually strengthen the administration’s hand in negotiations. Republican Senator Thom Tillis said the bill is a “real enabler” for the Trump administration, while Democrat Senator Tim Kaine said the legislation gives Trump leverage.

Fox News reports that Senate Republican leadership is waiting on direct White House approval before bringing the bill to a vote.

Graham has expressed hope that the sanctions will be enacted before next week’s G7 Summit in Italy, sending “an unequivocal message to China.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the Senate to delay voting on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, Republican Senator Roger Wicker said on June 4.

"I know that he (Trump) asked the leader (Senate Majority Leader John Thune) not to bring the bill to a vote this week," Wicker said during a meeting of the Defense Writers Group in Washington.

The bill, introduced on April 1 by Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (D), seeks to impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and raw materials.

Its aim is to tighten economic pressure on Russia and discourage third-party nations from enabling the Kremlin’s energy exports.

The legislation currently has broad bipartisan support, with 82 out of 100 U.S. senators backing it. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson also voiced his support for the bill.

Previously, Trump said he had not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia because he believed a peace deal might be within reach.

"If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," he said on May 28, but added he is prepared to act if Moscow stalls further.

The Senate was expected to begin considering the bill this week, prior to the request made by Trump.

Putin ‘will have to respond’ to Ukraine’s attack on Russian bombers, Trump says after call with Kremlin chief

Trump said he spoke to Putin over the phone for an hour and 15 minutes on June 4 and that it was “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.”

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

Russian ex-President Dmitry Medvedev's statement that Russia seeks only a "swift victory" and the "complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government at the Istanbul peace talks is a "rare moment of honesty," U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on June 3.

"I appreciate you making it clear to the world that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Russia are not remotely interested in peace," said Graham, a Republican lawmaker backing a bill on major new sanctions against Russia.

Graham made the statement in reaction to Medvedev's Telegram post, in which the deputy chairman of the Russian security council admitted that "the Istanbul negotiations are not intended for reaching a compromise peace based on someone's unrealistic conditions."

Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace negotiations on June 2, during which Russia yet again rejected a long-term ceasefire and instead presented a memorandum with a list of harsh demands on Kyiv.

These reportedly included official recognition of Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's full withdrawal from four partially occupied regions, a ban on joining NATO, limits on the military, and more conditions.

Moscow's real goal in the talks is a "swift victory and the complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government, Medvedev said. He referred to Ukrainian authorities as a "neo-Nazi regime," referring to Russia's false narratives about the Nazi-led government in Kyiv that were used as a pretext for Russian aggression.

"This is the meaning of the Russian memorandum published yesterday (June 2)." Medvedev has gained notoriety during the full-scale war for his theatrical and incendiary remarks aimed at Ukraine and its Western partners.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of intentionally stalling the negotiations to allow its forces to take more territory in the meantime.

"Our army is actively advancing and will continue to advance. Everything that should explode will explode, and everybody who should be exterminated will disappear," Medvedev said.

During the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation also presented a peace proposal, which included a prisoner swap in an all-for-all format, the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, as well as the release of all civilians held in Russian captivity.

According to the Ukrainian proposal seen by the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv would retain its right to join the EU and NATO. Ukraine also highlighted the need for security guarantees to avoid further Russian invasion.

Like the first round of talks on May 16, this week's negotiations ended without any tangible progress toward a long-term ceasefire or a peace deal. Instead, the two parties agreed on a new prisoner exchange, which could involve up to 1,200 prisoners on each side.

Moscow also proposed a brief ceasefire lasting up to three days to collect the bodies of fallen soldiers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called upon U.S. President Donald Trump to adopt tougher sanctions against Russia if the Istanbul talks fail to achieve progress. A bipartisan bill proposed by Graham, which he said will "start moving" forward this week, would impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.

BREAKING: Russia’s Crimean Bridge rocked by explosions, Ukraine’s SBU claims responsibility

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time during the full-scale war, mining and damaging its underwater supports, the SBU announced on June 3.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek