Russia secretly used front companies to buy Western technology and erect a surveillance net in the Arctic where its submarines operate, an investigation shows.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday dismissed the idea of halting the conflict at the current contact line. Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

The European Union's 19th package of sanctions against Russia will list four companies involved in China's oil industry that circumvent Western restrictions, EU diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Trump wants Russia and Ukraine to freeze the war on the current battlelines, with Moscow holding a huge swathe of eastern Ukraine.

The announcement comes as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due to meet with Donald Trump in Washington.

Russia said its position "remains unchanged" as it responded to U.S. President Donald Trump 's latest call to freeze the war in Ukraine along the current frontlines.

As a Ukrainian, I’ve seen firsthand how Russia has learned to emulate American soft power for authoritarian ends.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete as neutral athletes in qualification events for next year's Winter Olympics after FIS vote.