For a quarter century, President Vladimir Putin has faced the specter of Russia's shrinking and aging population. In 1999, a year before he came to power, the number of babies born in Russia plunged to its lowest recorded level. In 2005, Putin said the demographic woes needed to be resolved by maintaining "social and economic stability.”

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw a test of Russia's nuclear forces on land, sea and air to rehearse their readiness and command structure. The test included the launch of a land-based "Yars" intercontinental ballistic missile from a cosmodrome,

Russian jets violated NATO airspace over Lithuania for 18 seconds during suspected refueling exercise. Nation's president calls it a breach of international law amid tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed drills of the country’s strategic nuclear forces that featured practice missile launches

For months, President Donald Trump resisted calls to slap new sanctions on Russia, believing he could end the war in a deal with Vladimir Putin — including with a quick peace summit in the coming weeks in Budapest.

President Donald Trump canceled his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, due to insufficient progress toward peace negotiations, the White House said.

The postponement of Donald Trump’s much-anticipated summit with Vladimir Putin in Budapest had seemed to confirm all his critics’ fears. At the White House on Tuesday, the president explained that he did not want a “wasted meeting”.

The attack comes as US President Donald Trump said his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold.