The Kremlin shrugged off U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that India had given its assurance it would no longer buy Russian oil.

Russia pounded Ukraine with a massive barrage of missiles and drones in the early hours of Thursday, leading to air raid alerts across the country. Volodymyr Zelensky said the pre-dawn attack was the latest targeting Ukraine's energy grid ahead of the bitter winter months, and involved 37 missiles and more than 300 drones.

Russia said on Thursday it was confident its energy partnership with India would continue, after U.S. President Donald Trump said India had promised to stop buying oil from Moscow.

While Donald Trump advocates for India to halt its purchases of Russian oil and gas, citing the Ukraine war, he conveniently misses out European nations' massive continued trade with Moscow, much greater than New Delhi's purchases.

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), has said that Russia would have long since lost the war without the support of its allies. Quote: "Russia would have lost this war long ago,

President Ahmed al-Shara is making his first trip to Moscow, which backed the regime his rebels overthrew. Both sides have reasons to put the past aside.

Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa will meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time, as both countries seek to rebuild relations following the toppling of Syrian autocrat Bashar al-Assad,

Britain targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 44 shadow fleet tankers on Wednesday in what it described as a new bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.

The Kremlin will negotiate only if missiles and drones bring the pain of war home to Russians, Ukrainian officials say.