Vladimir Putin
2nd and 4th President of Russia (2000-2008, 2012-present), 7th and 11th Prime Minister of Russia (1999-2000, 2008-2012), Director of the Federal Security Service (1998-1999) and Deputy Mayor of Saint Petersburg (1994-1996)
Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 6h ago
EU leaders reject US push to unfreeze Russian assets as Trump-Zelensky rift deepens
European leaders turned down a reported US proposal to release billions of euros in frozen Russian assets, while Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš accused Trump of betrayal over a Russian diesel deal.
- 8h ago
Putin says Russia's 660 km security zone inside Ukraine is not up for negotiation
Putin said on Friday, 16 October, that Russia is establishing a security zone inside Ukraine along the border and will not discuss it in future peace talks with Kyiv. The Kremlin says about 70% of the planned 660 km zone is already under Russian control.
- 9h ago
Merz contradicts Trump on Ukrainian strikes as Russian raids darken Kyiv
Russian strikes on power plants in Kyiv and northwestern Ukraine cut electricity for hundreds of thousands, as Kyiv dropped the energy truce Trump had announced.
- 10h ago
Pope Leo XIV asks Putin for a truce in besieged Oleshky from his Rome hospital bed
Phoning from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he is recovering from lung-cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV asked Putin on Friday, 16 October, for a truce in Oleshky so that food, medical aid and a voluntary evacuation of civilians could proceed. The Kremlin said Putin offered support for the Vatican's aim of helping secure the city.
- 11h ago
Zelensky answers scapegoat question with a smile, as Trump row deepens before US midterms
At an EU summit press conference in Brussels, Zelensky paused for 15 seconds when asked whether Trump was using him as a scapegoat, then said 'This is my answer.' He also said Ukraine is negotiating with the US team and expects a new meeting in the coming days.
- 15h ago
Putin decree puts assets of Tarkett, Menshen and other European firms under Russian control
Russia placed the local assets of companies from France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands under temporary state management by decree on Thursday, 15 October, the day a two-day EU summit opened in Brussels.
- 15h ago
US and Germany return Russian war opponents to Russia, where some are sent to the front
Deportations from the United States to Russia rose from 222 in 2023 to over 1,200 in 2025. One deportee says Russian security officers met the flight in Moscow and handed the men enlistment papers.
- 17h ago
NATO's top commander says alliance far outclasses Russia's conventional forces
Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich told Der Spiegel that NATO's capabilities in a large-scale conflict far exceed Moscow's, and that Russia relies on sabotage because it has no other options.
- 17h ago
Trump says US is in nuclear talks with Russia and China over denuclearization
Trump told Newsmax that Washington is talking with Moscow and Beijing about denuclearization and expects China to draw level with the US arsenal within five years. The New START treaty expired in February without a successor.
- yesterday
Tusk rules out softer EU sanctions on Russia as Zelensky thanks Poland
Donald Tusk used his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, 15 October 2026, to rule out any easing of EU sanctions on Russia. The talks had been planned for 15:30 but were pushed back because the EU summit ran long.
- 2d ago
Slovakia revives its commission with Russia and restores military attaché exchanges
Bratislava has agreed to reconvene its intergovernmental commission with Moscow, with a session set for 25 November, and to exchange military attachés for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- 2d ago
Von der Leyen says 70 billion euro gap in Ukraine funding for 2027 must be closed
Ursula von der Leyen said the 2027 shortfall of 70 billion euros for Ukraine must be covered, with partner financing expected to supply a third of it. Friedrich Merz and Ulf Kristersson spoke to reporters in Brussels on the same day.
- 2d ago
Russian drones hit US company sites in Ukraine as White House stays silent
Russian drones and missiles have damaged Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald's and Mondelez sites in Ukraine since late August, and the Trump administration has not publicly condemned the strikes.
- 2d ago
Schlein calls cross-abstention on Ukraine votes a step forward for Italy's progressive camp
Italy's progressive alliance abstained on each other's Ukraine resolutions in parliament on 14 October, which Elly Schlein described as a step forward, while differences on arms shipments remain unresolved.
- 2d ago
NATO chief Rutte urges allies to do more for Ukraine's air defence as Russian strikes intensify
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made the call at a press conference in Tallinn, Estonia, as Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine before winter. Overnight Russian strikes killed at least seven people and left 600,000 without electricity.
- 3d ago
Ukraine's foreign intelligence says Russia weighs direct conflict with Poland by 2045
Ukraine's foreign intelligence service (SZRU) says Moscow sees a direct clash with Poland and the Baltic states as one realistic option up to 2045, while hybrid warfare remains its main tool for now.
- 3d ago
Japan denies espionage as Russia holds Hokkaido Shimbun reporter Yuki Imai
Tokyo has rejected Russia's espionage accusation against a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter detained in Sakhalin. Moscow's ambassador also turned down Japan's requests for information and humanitarian consideration.
- 4d ago
WHO says Russia has not confirmed cause of death of woman lab worker in Irkutsk
The WHO says Russia has not confirmed a cause of death for a 28-year-old woman lab worker in Irkutsk and has seen no evidence of ongoing transmission. Russian authorities say no plague case was recorded in the region and point to pneumonia of undetermined cause.
- 4d ago
Russia claims $320.7 billion in energy sales to EU since 2022; Brussels puts figure at $209 billion
Moscow says European countries bought $320.7 billion of Russian oil and gas since 2022, while the European Commission counts about €197 billion ($209 billion) through July 2026 and Sweden disputes the aid comparison.
- 4d ago
France boards Russian shadow fleet tanker DF Peak south of Réunion
The French navy boarded the tanker DF Peak on Monday, 12 October, more than 450 nautical miles south of Réunion, and redirected it under naval escort. Paris suspects the vessel sailed under a false flag and was involved in irregular fuel transport.
