Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces were advancing into Ukrainian defences and that President Vladimir Putin ordered expansion of a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv in 2026,

January, President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine will have dragged on longer than the war on the Eastern Front that ended with the fall of Berlin in May 1945.

Russian commanders told Putin during an inspection visit that Moscow's forces had captured towns in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk.

Mike Pompeo challenges Trump and Zelenskyy's optimism about Ukraine peace talks, warning Putin needs a 'bigger stick' before serious negotiations.

The move appears to be a response to several initiatives to go after Russian officials and military officers for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, something Moscow denies its forces are guilty of.

Western sanctions have failed to turn the uber-rich into opponents, and Putin's policies have turned them into silent backers.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone shortly before the meeting. Trump described it as a “good and very productive telephone call.”