A bipartisan pair of US senators met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday and urged stronger sanctions against Russia, while uncertainty swirls over whether the next round of peace talks will move ahead in the coming days.

Almost 400 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged as a result of Russian attacks during more than three years of war. Seaports are critical for Ukraine, which ships more than 90% of its exports by sea.

“Russia has one of the lowest projected long-term growth rates and one of the highest levels of country risk in the world,” says Heli Simola, senior economist at the Bank of Finland in a blog post. “Only Belarus offers an equally lousy combination of growth and risk.”

Christiane Amanpour speaks to Fiona Hill, former National Security Council Senior Director for Russian Affairs.

The Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss the list of conditions for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine next week in Istanbul, its spokesman said on Friday, praising the U.S. role in mediating the talks.

Germany and Ukraine strike a deal to jointly develop weapons with "no range restrictions," as the Kremlin says Trump's jabs at Putin are due to him "not being informed."

The country exported over £670 million worth of ammunition to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022, albeit via third countries, it has been reported.