Page 34 - Cisc News Today

Russia warned the United States on Saturday it should stop brandishing ultimatums over the collapse of arms control agreements, saying Moscow would only return to a nuclear arms reduction treaty if Washington abandons its hostile stance.

Ukraine's plans for a counteroffensive against Russian occupation remain on track, its deputy defence minister told Reuters on Saturday, despite an "unprecedented" wave of missile and drone attacks across the country in recent weeks.

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said he met South Korea's defence minister on Saturday to discuss Ukraine's needs for ammunition.

OPEC denied media access to its headquarters to reporters from Reuters and other media.

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Kremlin factions were destroying the state by trying to sow discord between him and Chechen fighters.

President Vladimir Putin's decision to move one of Russia's holiest icons from a museum to a Moscow cathedral highlights his growing reliance on the Church as the Ukraine war drags on, but has also raised fears about the safety of the fragile artifact.

Two people were killed and two injured by Ukrainian artillery fire on Russia's Belgorod region on Saturday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

The Kremlin said on Saturday that journalists from "unfriendly countries" would not be allowed into the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, which President Vladimir Putin has used to showcase the Russian economy to global investors.

An explosion hit a two-story dwelling, injuring 20 people including five children, and rescuers pulled residents out from under the rubble, the regional governor said.

Ukrainian authorities on Friday lifted air raid alerts across most of the nation, and officials in the capital Kyiv said defences appeared to have shot down more than 30 missiles and drones fired by Russia.