The US president had hit India with a further 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil, arguing it was funding the war in Ukraine.

An annual strategy document, which has described threats from China to Russia, directs some of its harshest language at NATO allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would seize the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine “in any case,” including by military means, digging in on one of his key demands as Ukrainian officials prepare for more peace talks that have yet to yield a deal.

The officials in a joint statement said they made progress on creating a security framework for postwar Ukraine and are urging Russia to commit to peace.

India gave Russia's leader a warm welcome in his first visit since his country invaded Ukraine. The visit in part signaled India's defiance of the U.S., which has punished New Delhi for buying Russian oil.

Family ties may become strained for former South African President Jacob Zuma after his eldest daughter accused her half-sister of deceiving 17 men – half of whom are reportedly relatives – into fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw — something Kyiv has flatly rejected.

In talks with Russia, European officials say that President Trump’s advisers have positioned the U.S. as an independent arbiter rather than as the leading voice of NATO.

Russian authorities say they have imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service FaceTime, alleging it was being used for organizing what it called “terrorist activities.”

Economic and military pressures could force Russia’s hand. Its economy is strained but not enough to do that, analysts say. And President Vladimir V. Putin says Russia is winning the war.

NATO fighter jets were scrambled and air defense systems put on alert in Poland in response to Russia's latest overnight drone and missile strikes in Ukraine, the Armed Forces Operational Command in Warsaw said in a series of social media posts.