Kim Jong Un made the comments at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia in its war with Ukraine, state media said.

Russia believes some NATO members, in particular Poland, want to abandon restrictions on the deployment of nuclear weapons in their countries, which would aggravate “strategic risks” and tensions, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

As Zelenskyy lauds Europe and the U.S. for ramping up economic pressure on Putin over the war in Ukraine, Moscow dismisses them as a counterproductive "act of war."

Get the latest news and live updates as the government shutdown continues, Trump sanctions Russia in a push for a ceasefire in Ukraine and Rubio heads to Israel amid Gaza truce.

Kyrgyzstan voiced regret on Friday over the inclusion of several Kyrgyz entities in the European Union's latest Russia sanctions list, a move it called "one-sided sanctions pressure".

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday dismissed the idea of halting the conflict at the current contact line. Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Russian jets violated NATO airspace over Lithuania for 18 seconds during suspected refueling exercise. Nation's president calls it a breach of international law amid tensions.

Russia will need to attract millions of skilled migrants to achieve an economic growth rate of at least 3.2% and sustain its economy, the country's top banker and longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.