Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday about the preparation of "concrete proposals" for a new round of direct talks with Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation to the May 16 talks, the first between the warring nations since spring 2022. The Russian team was led by Vladimir Medinsky.

Orban is widely seen as Russia's closest ally in the European Union, and his government has broken ranks with his European partners by maintaining trade and opposing sanctions on Russia, refusing to allow the transit of weapons, and comparing Ukraine to Afghanistan.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the two countries will also start a joint program to produce long-range weapons that Kyiv can use against Russian targets.

Ex-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of World War III as the rhetoric between the White House and the Kremlin ramped up over the Ukraine war.

In the past two weeks, as hectic diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine have failed, Russia has intensified its push, making its most significant advances since January. We find proof of that in Rodynske.

A Saskatchewan couple joined The Morning Edition to talk about their new illustrated fantasy novel called Crown of Thorns. The narrative parallels current and past events in Ukraine, and a portion of every book sale will go to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation’s Aid for Artists project.

The U.S. president lashed out at the Kremlin on Tuesday as the White House continued to consider increasing sanctions against Russia.