Vladimir Putin tightens grip on power by promoting family members and younger allies to his inner circle as economic strain and opposition threats mount in Russia.

By holding nuclear drills and boasting about the successful test of a pioneering nuclear-powered cruise missile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a message to President Donald Trump: Moscow wouldn’t be cowed into concessions on Ukraine.

Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and will work towards deploying the weapon, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, which comes as Moscow launched its second deadly attack on Ukraine in two nights.

Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin that the missile travelled 8,700 miles and was in the air for about 15 hours.

North Korea's top diplomat has visited the Kremlin for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting follows last month's meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un in Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country has tested a new, nuclear-capable missile and is preparing to deploy it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during talks in the Kremlin on Monday to tell his country's leader Kim Jong Un that everything was "going to plan" in bilateral relations.

The announcement comes as part of nuclear messaging from the Kremlin, which has resisted Western pressure for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

This includes Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, and Col Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the presidential office in Kyiv. Today, with the Ukrainian flag flying above Downing Street, he's meeting Keir Starmer.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claims that the summit in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will still take place. Details: Orbán noted the summit in Budapest will take place,