Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy claimed Washington and Moscow were close to a “diplomatic solution” to the war in Ukraine, estimating that the conflict would end

The impact of President Donald Trump’s attempt to financially choke Moscow’s war machine by imposing sanctions on Russian oil firms was instant; not on the battlefield in Ukraine, but in the offices of oil traders in India and China,

Moscow’s forces infiltrated Pokrovsk after months of attacks on the city, a strategic part of Ukraine’s eastern defenses.

Sberbank CEO German Gref said Russia is so fixated on fighting inflation that it's forgetting about economic growth.

Pokrovsk was dubbed a "fortress" settlement, key to Ukrainian lines in the east and connected to other cities forming the backbone of Ukraine's defense in the east. Russia kicked off a push to take Pokrovsk in the summer of 2024.

Ukraine aims to cripple the Russian oil industry and cut the key source of revenue to Moscow’s war machine. And Zelenskyy believes that long-range oil strikes, plus U.S. sanctions and a mega loan to Kyiv from the EU financed by frozen Russian assets, could push Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

Putin is massing air defences around Moscow for a long winter of drone attacks. That means leaving other areas undefended, but he may have little choice in the matter.

Bryce McFerran is a senior executive at a steel-trading business co-owned by one of Russia’s richest oligarchs and is married to a member of a Russian family with extensive ties to the Kremlin.

Ukraine has ramped up its strikes on Russian military and energy targets far beyond the front lines in recent months.