Russia has been conducting an offensive on the front for over a year. At the same time, Western leaders are increasingly calling for negotiations and an end to the war. Even before his inauguration, the newly elected President of the United States declared that he could make it happen.

Russia has held several rounds of tactical nuclear weapons drills this year, and regularly carries out military exercises for its strategic nuclear forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday suggested a missile 'duel' with the United States that would show how Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could defeat any U.S. missile defence system.

Russia now views arms control over the vast nuclear arsenals that were built up during the Cold War to be a thing of the past due to the lack of trust between Moscow and the West, Russia's top general said on Wednesday.

The United States has accused China of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, highlighting that Beijing's actions contradict its claims of pursuing peace. Source: US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood during the UN Security Council meeting on 20 Details: Wood emphasised that China's support for Russia goes against the principles of the UN Charter.

The United States voiced alarm at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that Russia was close to accepting a nuclear-armed North Korea, as Moscow and Pyongyang defended their growing cooperation.

Russia is keen to disrupt, weaken or even divide NATO and one way of encouraging that might be to convince the U.S. that war is coming with the alliance in Europe and to ask America if it wants to be dragged into it. This especially matters as Trump's incoming administration forms its policies toward NATO and Russia.

Russia has warned its citizens to not visit the US since relations with Washington are confrontational, claiming that they could risk being "hunted" by American authorities.

Authorities said they had arrested an Uzbek national born in 1995 for working with Ukrainian special services to plant a bomb on a scooter outside the general's residence.

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between the military alliance, which supports Kyiv in its defense efforts, and the Kremlin have continued.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday blamed Alphabet's YouTube for slowing speeds on the video hosting platform in Russia and said Google must comply with Russian law if it wants to continue operating in Russia.