One of Vladimir Putin's close allies has outlined a set of demands that Russia wants met to end its violent conflict in Ukraine. Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insists that a resolution to the fighting cannot be reached unless the "root causes of the conflict" are "eliminated.

Despite President Trump’s 50-day ultimatum and the threat of severe secondary sanctions, Vladimir Putin remains defiant, vowing to continue the war in Ukraine “until he gets what he wants.” -According to a recent Reuters report citing Kremlin sources,

Three days earlier, the war had spilled across the breadth of Russia as the Ukrainians smuggled a fleet of cheap drones across the border and used them to attack several military airfields, damaging or destroying Russian warplanes worth billions of dollars.