Vladimir Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO, five sources with knowledge of Kremlin thinking told Reuters.

Professor Anthony Glees believes Putin is already planning ahead for Trump's return to power after the Russian dictator approved a new nuclear doctrine.

Duda made the comment in response to a recent phone call between Scholz and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. “I believe it was an attempt to bring about a cease-fire in Ukraine before Donald Trump took office,

President Vladimir Putin has updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine, two days after his US counterpart Joe Biden granted Ukraine permission to strike targets deep inside Russia with American-made weapons.

Putin lowered the bar for a nuclear attack after the US lifted a ban on Ukraine using long-range missiles. Ukraine carried out its first strike with the weapons.

A decree signed by the Russian leader, though long planned, came days after President Biden authorized the use of U.S.-supplied missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia.