Putin said Moscow could resume US-mediated talks with Kyiv but rejected freezing combat along the current front line as Russian attacks continued.
Putin used a Valdai speech to accuse the West over Ukraine, cite Russian battlefield claims and revive nuclear escalation warnings.
Drone strikes hit Russian cities Belgorod, Rostov-on-Don, and Engels airfield, causing fires and damaging logistics and energy infrastructure amid ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv injured six as air raid warnings were delayed. The attacks reflect escalating conflict with significant civilian and infrastructural damage.
Kremlin refuses to forward Cannes winner Zvyagintsev’s anti-war appeal, illustrating the widespread silencing of dissenting voices among millions of Russians.