Minister of Transport Roman Starovoy likely killed himself hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin.

By Gleb Stolyarov MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin fired his transport minister on Monday, in an unexpected move that comes at a time of significant challenges for the transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year.

Russia's Investigative Committee says former Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead, apparently with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was dismissed earlier on Monday by President Vladimir Putin.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had approved sending U.S. defensive weapons to Ukraine and was considering additional sanctions on Moscow, underscoring his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the growing death toll in Russia's war with Ukraine.

President Trump signaled that he’s ‘very strongly’ looking at sanctions on Russia amid stalled peace talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war.