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Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly New Yearâs drone strike in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraineâs southern Kherson region.
He stressed the importance of continued international pressure on Russia, both militarily and economically, saying it âconvincesâ in the absence of diplomacy.
"Now, whether that means incorporated into Russia, or you have a friendly, pro-Russian government that is aligned to Russia, is not certain," Ripley said, but he said Moscow ideally wanted to return to the situation prior to 2014 when Kyiv was friendly
"Russia is lying by claiming that Latvia allows any country to use Latvian airspace and territory to strike Russia or any other country," he wrote in a post on X.
According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, crude oil represented 64 percent of China's imports from Russia.
At the same time, ChinaâRussia trade has slowed.
BARI, ItalyâThe G7 summit of the worldâs seven wealthy democracies concluded on June 15, showcasing unified decisions and actions that underscored their firm stance against China and Russia.
Russia unilaterally declared a three-day cease-fire from May 8 through May 10 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the day Nazi Germany was defeated during World War II, known in Russia as âVictory Day.â
"It almost doesn't matter, just not in Russia, of course, and definitely not in Belarus."
Zelenskyy called on the United States to pass tougher restrictions on Russia after Trump imposed sanctions on Moscow's two biggest oil companies.
(Left) U.S.
Hours after the call, Russia launched what was its largest aerial assault on Ukraine to date, including a combination of more than 550 drones and missiles.
Thune's comments came a day after President Donald Trump confirmed that he was considering expanding Russia sanctions amid slow progress in talks to end the RussiaâUkraine war.
"It is an obvious thing and it does not strengthen Russia-U.S. relations that have just started recovering," he said, reported state news agency TASS. "Certainly, the U.S. administration harms Russia-U.S. relations by such actions.
And honestly, Russia does not need that."
The range of a Tomahawk missile is roughly 1,000 miles, according to manufacturer Raytheon. Arming Ukraine with U.S.-made Tomahawks would mean that Kyiv could hit targets as deep into Russia as Moscow.
UK domestic spy agency MI5 warned on Oct. 13 that the country's politicians are being targeted by agents of China, Russia and Iran who are seeking to undermine democracy.
Trump is trying to bring an end to the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, which began when Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 in what he called a "special military operation."
Russia did not immediately comment.
Ukraine has developed its own long-range drones, which can reach targets some 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) inside Russia.
Why It Matters
The United States and Russia together hold nearly 90 percent of the worldâs nuclear weapons.
Russia has about 5,459 nuclear warheads and the United States has about 5,177, according to the Federation of American Scientists.