President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the war in Ukraine and other matters by phone for two hours on Monday. The conversation yielded no breakthrough on efforts to end the largest ground war in Europe since World War II. A ceasefire seems as far as ever.

The Russians are "trying to avoid giving anything because they are very, very hard-nosed negotiators," one analyst told NBC News.

The European Union and Britain on Tuesday rolled out a sweeping set of sanctions targeting what they call Russia's "shadow fleet", a covert network of tankers used to secretly move Russian oil across the globe.

Western leaders warn Putin is buying time as U.K. and EU announce sanctions targeting Russia's military, energy, and illegal oil transport amid ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Moscow’s proposal for peace talks backfired as Ukraine’s European allies persuaded Zelensky to accept U.S. cease-fire plan.

Russia has been struck with heavy Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine and its GDP growth looks to have taken a major hit.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed what the U.S. leader called "impressive" prospects for ties between their two countries in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin said, adding that Russia and the United States are working on a new prisoner swap.

President Trump said the tone and spirit of his two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday about the war in Ukraine were "excellent," and Russia and Ukraine would "immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire.