The Latest Breaking News from Moscow

Washington proposed the first Ukraine-Russia face-to-face talks in months, after US and Russian envoys met in Miami over the weekend to discuss a possible peace plan to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russian and US officials are due to meet Saturday for another round of talks. Meanwhile, on Friday, President Vladimir Putin said there would be no more "special operations", Putin's words for Ukraine's full scale invasion if the West treats Moscow with respect during his annual news conference.

During his annual press conference and call-in show, the Russian president stated that his troops were advancing in Ukraine, the day after EU leaders agreed on a €90bn loan for Kyiv, avoiding the use of frozen assets.

European Union leaders have agreed a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine, offering Kyiv a financial lifeline as it faces mounting budgetary pressure, but stopped short of the contentious step of using frozen Russian state assets.

Kenya has pledged to crack down on overseas recruitment networks after hundreds of its citizens were lured to Russia with promises of work, only to be sent to military camps and, in some cases, the front line in Ukraine.

Belarus’ authoritarian president says that Russia had deployed its latest nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system to the country, a move that comes as talks to end the war in Ukraine have entered a crucial phase

A U.S. official says a Kremlin envoy will travel to Florida to discuss a U.S.-proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine

Hayden Davies was accused by Moscow of being a paid mercenary for Kyiv’s forces in the eastern Donetsk region

As European Union leaders converge on Brussels, the debate over how to pay for Ukraine’s defence is coming to a head. The proposals to use frozen Russian assets are exposing legal risks, political fault lines and testing the limits of European solidarity.