The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on a kleptocratic ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was removed this month as president of the Serb territory within Bosnia and Herzegovina for chipping away at the US-brokered peace deal that ended bloody ethnic violence in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Vladimir Putin tightens grip on power by promoting family members and younger allies to his inner circle as economic strain and opposition threats mount in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming that Ukrainian forces are surrounded by the Russian army in two key eastern cities and is offering to negotiate a deal for their surrender

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during talks in the Kremlin on Monday to tell her country's leader Kim Jong Un that everything was "going to plan" in bilateral relations.

The move benefits the Serbian politician Milorad Dodik, who had received support from Rudolph W. Giuliani, Michael T. Flynn, Laura Loomer and high-priced lobbyists.