Vladimir Putin has said Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine “the sooner the better” via a “diplomatic solution” – with Volodymyr Zelensky having returned to Kyiv after meeting US president Joe Biden at the White House.
“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” the Russian president said. “We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course”.
Mr Zelensky said he is “in my office” and “working toward victory,” in a video posted to his Telegram channel on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, North Korea has denied an accusation from the US that it was providing battlefield missiles and rockets to the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, for use in Ukraine. "Wagner is searching around the world for arms suppliers to support its military operations in Ukraine," White House national security spokesman, John Kirby said.
Pyongyang also called reports in Japanese media that it had shipped artillery shells and other munitions to Russia via train last month – with additional shipments expected in coming weeks – “groundless”.
