Donald Trump is set to deliver Vladimir Putin a massive blow as the White House appears to be reaching a "turning point" in its relations with Russia. The US President has grown increasingly frustrated with his Russian counterpart over the Kremlin's unwillingness to engage in meaningful peace negotiations on Ukraine.

In a rare moment of public criticism of the Kremlin boss, Trump accused Putin of talking "a lot of bulls***" about Ukraine. The White House incumbent has teased that he will deliver a major announcement on Russia on Monday, prompting speculation of a significant change in policy towards the Kremlin. Now, a close ally of the US President has also hinted that Trump is about to get rough and tough with Putin.

In an interview on Sunday with CBS News, Lindsey Graham hinted that the US will now once again step up the delivery of weapons to Kyiv. The South Carolina senator said: "A turning point regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine is coming.

"The idea of America selling weapons to help Ukraine is very much in play. You will see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves."

He also hinted that Russian assets frozen by Western banks and financial institutions could be given to Kyiv, in what would be a major new development.

After Putin unleashed his full-scale invasion in February 2022, the US and its allies banned transactions with Russia's central bank and finance ministry. The ban has prevented the Kremlin from accessing around US$300 billion (£222bn) of sovereign Russian assets.

Graham said: "We've given Ukraine a lot. We've given the money. We've given them military aid. We now have a minerals agreement with Ukraine that's worth trillions of dollars. So I don't want to get ahead of the president, but stay tuned about seized assets."

Trump's hostile turn towards Russia has infuriated the Kremlin, which has unleashed its attack dogs on the White House occupant.

Vladimir Solovyov - a Kremlin apparatchik - warned the US President that Russia could become America's "most terrifying enemy" in a rant on his TV talkshow.

In a chilling warning, he added that if "350 million Americans" think they can defeat "150 million Russians, then "you clearly don’t understand Russia".