President Donald Trump said Friday that he was “strongly considering” imposing sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and permanent peace deal was reached in its war with Ukraine, even as he defended Russia’s stepped-up attacks on Ukraine after the United States paused aid and intelligence sharing.

Asked in the Oval Office on Friday whether he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was taking advantage of the situation, which resulted from a tense Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump defended Putin’s actions.

It was the latest about-face for Trump, coming just hours after threatening sanctions, but also a return to aligning himself with Putin’s narrative of the war.

Trump’s remarks came hours after Russia unleashed a furious bombardment aimed at critical Ukrainian infrastructure overnight on Thursday and Friday. Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, said Russian forces launched a “massive missile and drone” assault on power and gas facilities across the country.

— The New York Times