The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on a kleptocratic ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was removed this month as president of the Serb territory within Bosnia and Herzegovina for chipping away at the US-brokered peace deal that ended bloody ethnic violence in the Balkans in the 1990s.

The United States has cancelled a planned Budapest summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin following Russia's firm stance on hardline demands regarding Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

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.

The sanctions on Milorad Dodik, an ultranationalist Serbian politician, had attracted criticism from MAGA firebrands.

By Yousef Saba and Gleb Bryanski RIYADH/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday during a visit to Saudi Arabia that he expected the war in Ukraine to end within a year.

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

Long-range strikes on infrastructure are becoming increasingly critical as front-line advances stall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Wednesday that Russian troops have surrounded Ukrainian forces in two key eastern cities of Ukraine and offered to negotiate a deal for their surrender. Ukrainian military officials vigorously denied the claim.