A "two week" deadline imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to see if Russia is serious about peace in Ukraine has been and gone, with Moscow's escalation of attacks on civilians during this period failing to draw the slightest condemnation from the White House.

(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran's president that Moscow condemned Israel's actions against Tehran and told Israel's prime minister that questions around Iran's nuclear programme could only be solved through diplomacy.

Ukrainian forces were gradually pushing Russian forces out of the border Sumy region, where Moscow was able to establish a foothold in recent weeks, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.“Our units in Sumy region are gradually pushing back the occupiers,

The Kremlin has stated that Russia will respond to Ukraine's attacks on its strategic airfields when and how the Russian military deems necessary. Source: Dmitry Peskov, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's press secretary,

Trump has generally veered away from overtly criticizing Putin while openly berating Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, but has repeatedly condemned Russia's lethal airstrikes and floated that the Kremlin could be "tapping us along."

The Kremlin warned that it won't let Ukrainian Defense Forces take advantage of even a brief lull in fighting at the front. Moscow is banking on Washington changing its stance on ending the war, according to an interview with a Kremlin official given to the Russian state outlet TASS.

President Vladimir Putin has approved a new naval strategy which aims to fully restore Russia's position as one of the world's leading maritime powers, Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev said.