Ukraine-Russia war latest: Lavrov ‘ready’ to meet US officials

 Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has said he is ready to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following reports of a rift with President Vladimir Putin.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio and I understand the need for regular communication,” the Russian Foreign Minister told Russia's Ria state agency on Sunday, weeks after efforts to organise a summit between the Russian and US leaders were put on ice.

Lavrov said he is ready to discuss mending bilateral ties as well as the war in Ukraine, repeating that peace cannot be achieved without “taking Russian interests into account”, a phrase Moscow has used to signal it is standing firm in its maximalist demands for Ukraine.

His remarks come after the Kremlin was moved to dismiss mounting speculation that the seasoned Soviet-era diplomat has fallen out of favour with Putin in rumours that emerged after the bilateral summit efforts were put on hold. Among the events fuelling the intrigue was Lavrov’s conspicuous absence from a significant Kremlin meeting he would typically attend this week.

Meanwhile, Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine between Friday and Saturday, killing at least seven people.

State-owned energy company Tsentrenergo said the attacks were one of the largest on its facilities since the start of the war in February 2022, and that it had been forced to halt operations at its plants in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.

Key Points

Lavrov 'ready' to meet Rubio after stalled talks

Russia launches 450 drones and 45 missiles on Ukraine's energy infrastructure

At least seven killed in Ukraine after Russian drone barrage

Moscow says proposals for Russian nuclear test being prepared

Russia continues house-by-house fighting in Pokrovsk

Watch: Putin unveils Russia's new nuclear powered missile cruiser Khabarovskowered Missile Cruiser Khabarovsk

01:00 , Tara Cobham

Kremlin says Russia will abide by nuclear ban

00:00 , Tara Cobham

Russia will abide by its obligations under a global nuclear ban, the Kremlin spokesman said Sunday, following days of uncertainty over remarks by US President Donald Trump that appeared to suggest Washington might restart atomic tests after more than three decades.

Trump's comments came after Russia announced it had tested a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone and a new nuclear-powered cruise missile. But Moscow did not announce any tests of its nuclear weapons, which last occurred in 1990.

"Putin has repeatedly said that Russia is committed to its obligation to end nuclear tests, and that we have no intention" of conducting them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to study the possibility of resuming nuclear testing, though Russia said it would not do so unless the US did so first.

Full story: Ukrainian strikes disrupt power and heating to 2 major cities in Russia

23:00 , Tara Cobham

Nighttime Ukrainian strikes disrupted power and heating to two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border, local Russian officials reported Sunday.

A drone strike temporarily caused blackouts and cut heating to parts of Voronezh, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said. He said several drones were electronically jammed during the night over the city, home to just over 1 million people, sparking a fire at a local utility facility that was quickly extinguished.

Russian and Ukrainian news channels on Telegram claimed the strike targeted a local thermal power plant.