Russian president Vladimir Putin has said all proposals for a settlement to the war in Ukraine remain "on the table," but has warned Kyiv to prepare for a sustained wave of retaliatory strikes.
Addressing journalists in St. Petersburg on Friday, the Russian leader claimed Moscow was ready to resume peace negotiations after his party secured a record supermajority Russia's parliamentary elections this week.
However, Putin accused Ukrainian forces of intentionally derailing potential diplomatic channels with long-range drone strikes on polling stations during the voting period.
Dismissing Kyiv's recent military operations, Putin said: “They are the ones who started it... Everywhere, on every front. Are these playthings, child's play?
“[Ukraine] should therefore be made to feel Russia's retaliatory strikes and understand that no provocative actions ... will work. They're only making things worse for themselves.”
While insisting that ceasefire frameworks and diplomatic solutions remain possible, Putin stressed that Moscow will first carefully assess what best serves its own national interests before agreeing to any terms.
The comments come as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in Washington that he asked US president Donald Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping to use Beijing's leverage over Moscow.
Drone hits Russia's Ilsky oil refinery
Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, causing a fire at the facility.
Local governor Veniamin Kondratiev said that the Ukrainian drones targeted Seversky district, which houses one of the largest oil-processing facilities in southern Russia.
The extent of the damage to the refinery and casualties were not immediately known.
Government warned Homes for Ukraine funding cut may ‘send wrong message to Putin’
Planned government cuts to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme could “send the wrong message to Putin” by giving the impression that Western support for Kyiv is faltering, a Conservative former defence secretary has warned.
Starting from 1 January, monthly "thank-you" payments for households hosting Ukrainian refugees are set to drop from £350 to £100.
Local authority funding to support the initiative will also be scaled back on the same date, falling from £5,900 per guest to £3,300 per arrival.
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Trump administration commits $400m Ukraine aid ahead of deadline
The Trump administration has formally committed nearly all of the $400 million in military aid approved by Congress for Ukraine, meeting a September 30 expiration deadline.
According to Reuters, $307 million of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package has already been locked in under binding contracts, with the remaining $93 million expected to be approved before the end of the fiscal year.
The move follows bipartisan criticism accusing the Pentagon of "slow-walking" the assistance.
Deliveries include offensive weapons and armoured vehicle spare parts, though Patriot air defence missiles are excluded due to global supply shortages.
The development comes as Trump shows signs of warming toward Kyiv, recently meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in New York to discuss potential ceasefire frameworks.
Recap: Ukraine WILL receive Patriot licences, says Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Donald Trump had at last agreed to issue Ukraine with the licences to produce vital Patriot interceptor missiles in house, reducing reliance on foreign imports and allowing the country to defend against Russian aerial attacks.
“There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses,” the Ukrainian president said.
“At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles.”
Zelensky urges Trump to enlist Beijing's help as US proposes trilateral UAE talks
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that he asked Donald Trump to use Beijing's influence over Moscow to help end the conflict.
The US has said that Washington has proposed holding preliminary technical-level trilateral talks between US, Ukrainian, and Russian delegations in the United Arab Emirates.
Putin accuses Baltic states of violating Russian-speakers' rights, limits response to 'humanitarian sphere'
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is fully aware that the rights of Russian-speaking populations are being violated in the Baltic states, but maintains that Russia is responding solely within the "humanitarian sphere".
Speaking to state media following the release of Russia's parliamentary election results, Putin criticised policies targeting ethnic Russians in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Baltic authorities have tightened language requirements and residency rules for foreign nationals since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Despite growing rhetoric from pro-Kremlin lawmakers urging stronger intervention, Putin has signalled that Moscow's current response will focus on diplomatic pressure, cultural initiatives, and legal support for compatriots rather than retaliatory security actions.
Officials in Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius have consistently rejected Moscow's allegations of discrimination, accusing the Kremlin of fabricating human rights narratives to justify hybrid warfare operations and sow political instability across NATO's eastern members.
Russian election monitor arrested in Moscow on drug charges
Independent Russian election monitor Alexander Kynev has been arrested in Moscow after a district court ordered his arrest on large-scale drug trafficking charges.
Kynev, who faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, denies all allegations. Moscow's Perovsky District Court remanded the analyst in custody on Friday as official results from Russia's parliamentary election were finalised.
A former professor at Moscow's Higher School of Economics and former head of analytics for the election monitoring group Golos, Kynev is regarded as one of Russia's foremost authorities on regional politics.
Designated a "foreign agent" in February, he remained in Moscow and posted active commentary on Telegram throughout the voting period, describing the election as "the most unfair and tightly regulated" in modern Russian history.
Human rights observers and colleagues have deemed the charges as politically motivated retribution for his critical work, noting the frequent deployment of narcotics cases against prominent public dissidents.
Recap: Ukraine WILL receive Patriot licences, says Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Donald Trump had at last agreed to issue Ukraine with the licences to produce vital Patriot interceptor missiles in house, reducing reliance on foreign imports and allowing the country to defend against Russian aerial attacks.
“There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses,” the Ukrainian president said.
“At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles.”
Zelensky broke confidentiality with North Korea POWs disclosure, South Korean president Lee Jae Myung says
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung accused Ukraine of breaking a confidentiality agreement by publicly revealing that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia had been sent to South Korea.
Zelensky announced the transfer during his UN speech, saying Ukraine had handed over the two POWs to South Korea after consultations.
Lee wrote on X: “I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing.
“The issue of bringing North Korean prisoners to South Korea is a highly sensitive one that could have a major impact on diplomacy, security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
His comments came as opposition parties in South Korea questioned Lee for hiding arrival of North Korean troops in South Korea after it was first revealed by Zelensky.
Lee said those who “harm someone's life, national interest, or security for their own petty gain are called murderers or traitors”.
“Criticising valid and justified confidentiality measures is wrong,” he said.
Forty-six Ukraine war veterans elected to Russia’s State Duma
In a significant shift, 46 veterans of the war in Ukraine have won seats in the newly elected State Duma, officials have confirmed.
Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova noted that 41 of the elected veterans ran under the United Russia banner.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the outcome, stating that "the experience of our heroes is in high demand" and that the lawmakers would actively shape future government initiatives.
The remaining seats in the chamber were split between Kremlin-aligned "systemic opposition" parties, including the Communists, the LDPR, and four unaffiliated regional figures.
The anti-war liberal Yabloko party was barred from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court ahead of the vote.