The Kremlin said on Friday that it did not believe that a tougher stance U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted towards Russia over its war in Ukraine means the end of U.S-Russia talks aimed at reviving their battered ties.

Russia has launched overnight attacks on four Ukrainian cities, injuring at least 15 people and targeting energy infrastructure.

This week marked a possible pivot by President Donald Trump regarding Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Britain on Friday said it had sanctioned more than 20 Russian spies, hackers and agencies over what it called a "sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity" to destabilise Europe. The foreign ministry said it was sanctioning three units of the Russian military intelligence GRU agency and 18 of its officers,

US President Donald Trump’s 50-day pause ahead of possible secondary sanctions on Russia gifts the Kremlin a window to exploit the incremental gains of recent weeks in Ukraine’s east.

Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement.

Daniel Martindale helped the Kremlin target Ukrainian troops and was then spirited out of eastern Ukraine by Russian special forces.

A Russian official says American Daniel Martindale has been rewarded with citizenship for spying on Ukraine, "by decree of our President Vladimir Putin."

Two Russian agents were killed by Ukrainian security forces Sunday following reports that the Russian operatives assassinated Ukrainian Colonel Ivan Voronych.

Ukraine's security agency says it has killed Russian agents suspected of assassinating a senior officer in Kyiv.

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.