The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia did not think peace talks on Ukraine have stalled despite Donald Trump's remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Washington's resumption of some weapons to Ukraine.

The Kremlin expressed its continued desire for peaceful negotiations with Ukraine, dismissing concerns that talks have stalled. Moscow awaits Kyiv's readiness to begin a third round of discussions, which initially started in May in Istanbul.

The Kremlin's grip on the Russian elite appears to be closing ever tighter as two major figures of Russian business and security structures were detained in the past few days. Konstantin Strukov, a billionaire running a gold mining empire,

The apparent suicide of Russia’s transportation minister brought expressions of shock and sorrow from the Kremlin but no new clues as to why Roman Starovoit might have taken his own life amid media speculation he potentially was facing corruption charges.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was shocked by the sudden death of Russia's former transport minister Roman Starovoit, news of which broke hours after President Vladimir Putin had sacked him.

Unlike before, when you could get these jobs, get rich, get promoted from regional level to federal level, today, that is clearly not a career path if you want to stay alive,” Nina Khrushcheva told the BBC.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it would take time to clarify what weapons the United States is supplying and will supply to Ukraine after President Donald Trump said Washington would have to send more arms to Kyiv.