Kyiv’s European allies have slapped new sanctions on Moscow, a day after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.

Looking to improve business ties and promote checking Russian aggression, the European Union’s ambassador to the United States visited Ohio.

A flurry of diplomacy over Russia’s war against Ukraine, centered around the first direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in three years and a long phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin,

Airports in Moscow were briefly shut on Wednesday, after Russia claimed it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones.In a series of announcements, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Telegram that at least 376 Ukrainian drones were intercepted or destroyed on Wednesday.

Pope Leo XIV may have offered to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the Vatican, but neither the pope nor senior Vatican officials have spoken publicly about the possibility, leaving prospects for such talks uncertain.

It follows Donald Trump saying Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" start negotiating, after a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin.

As President Donald Trump prepares for crucial calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his administration faces ongoing talks to secure trade deals.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement on Tuesday that Pope Leo had confirmed during a phone call with her his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.