Russia will make no big concessions on a peace plan for Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday, after a leaked recording of a call involving U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff showed he had advised Moscow on how to pitch to Donald Trump.

President Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge patriotic rally Friday at a Moscow stadium on the eighth anniversary of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Putin, speaking to a crowd of more than 200,000 in and around Luzhniki Stadium ...

However, analysts warned that the past week’s boost to war-linked assets could quickly fade. Ukraine’s bonds have previously rallied on US peace overtures this year, such as the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska in August, only to drop back when it became clear that Kyiv and Moscow remained far apart.

US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will lead a delegation for talks in Russia next week, a Kremlin official said, as Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Opposition-minded Russians who remain in the country are trying to keep politically active in whatever causes they can, whether that’s recycling, clean air or parking.