The US and European leaders are placing their hopes in the Vatican to engage Russia and Ukraine in peace talks, after President Donald Trump said Pope Leo XIV had expressed interest in the idea. The Kremlin isn’t so keen.

The War Zone, an online military magazine, notes that while nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union's arsenal during the Cold War, little is known about their current status within Russia's Aerospace Forces (VKS), which "makes the disclosure from [the Defense Intelligence Agency] intelligence all the more intriguing."

Despite Ukrainian drone attacks hitting the Russian capital, Moscow, President Vladimir Putin will reportedly 'reject' any peace deal in the Ukrainian war because he is convinced that he will win

Airports in Moscow were briefly shut on Wednesday, after Russia claimed it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones.In a series of announcements, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Telegram that at least 376 Ukrainian drones were intercepted or destroyed on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the war in Ukraine and other matters by phone for two hours on Monday. The conversation yielded no breakthrough on efforts to end the largest ground war in Europe since World War II. A ceasefire seems as far as ever.