The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was preparing for contacts with the United States to get details about U.S. talks with European powers and Ukraine on a possible peace settlement to end the Ukraine conflict.

But part is because Ukraine is keeping secret the methods it hopes will help it regain a winning edge elsewhere. Participants refuse to say how they circumvented the all-seeing eyes and kill-zones of the modern battlefield.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC News during an exclusive interview in Moscow on Monday that he believes the warring parties are close to a deal.

Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday that an International Claims Commission for Ukraine launched by some European powers had no legal force for Russia and was driven by an attempt by European countries to spread propaganda against Russia.

The country’s fertility rate was 1.4 births per woman in 2023, according to the most recent UN statistics. That’s well below the 2.1 replacement rate and 20% lower than in 2015. And since then, an estimated quarter of a million Russian men have been killed in Ukraine. “Last year, deaths outpaced births by more than half a million.”

European leaders gather in Brussels to decide on using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine for the next two years.

US President Donald Trump's advice to Ukraine to "move quickly" comes ahead of fresh talks expected in Miami, Florida. The Miami talks come after two days of negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in Berlin,

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called on Ukraine to move "quickly" on a deal to end the war with Russia. Trump's warning comes ahead of fresh talks expected in Miami, Florida on the weekend.