Peace talks and a settlement in Ukraine have never been on the real agenda of the West, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday, in her first comments on negotiations since Russian and Ukrainian officials held talks on Wednesday.

Peace talks and a settlement in Ukraine have never been on the real agenda of the West, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday, in her first comments on negotiations since Russian and Ukrainian officials held talks on Wednesday.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces are holding back a concerted summer push by Russia’s bigger army to break through defenses along parts of the front line.

Ukrainian drones hit Russia's Sochi resort while Russian forces bombarded Odessa's residential areas and historic Pryvoz market, hours after ceasefire talks collapsed.

Officials in three of the five Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been accused of embezzling funds for border defenses.

In late July 2025, amid high media interest in Derek Huffman, a Texas man who moved his family to Russia to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S., a claim ( archived) circulated online that Huffman had died in combat after enlisting in the Russian armed forces.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds and Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur discuss reaching peace in Europe on 'Special Report.'