Ukraine-Russia: Kremlin says it won’t stop fighting until Kyiv gives in to demands

Reuters news agency is reporting that a Russian stand-up comedian was convicted of inciting hatred and jailed for nearly six years on Wednesday over a joke he made about a legless war veteran, which triggered outrage among nationalists and military bloggers.

A reporter in court said that the comedian, Artemy Ostanin, had been handed a sentence of five years and nine months and a fine of 300,000 roubles ($3,908).

It was the latest in a series of rulings which have harshly punished people judged by the authorities to have spoken rudely or falsely about the Russian army at a time when it is fighting in Ukraine.

Mr Ostanin was also convicted of offending the feelings of Christians with another off-colour joke he made about Jesus, which angered Orthodox nationalists.

Mr Ostanin, who had apologised to anyone whose feelings he had hurt, denied wrongdoing and said that the joke he made about the war veteran had made no mention of the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's public deficit could hit almost triple the intended target by the end of the year as a fall in Indian purchases of oil and growing oil trade discounts eat into revenues, a source close to the government told Reuters news agency.

Spending may also be higher than expected, contributing to the issue, it added.

The source cited calculations by economists from a government-linked think tank, which are not set to be published, but are the latest sign of growing strains on a Russian economy facing sanctions, high interest rates and labour shortages.

The calculations showed a possible fall in energy revenues by 18 per cent in 2026 compared to the government's plan, along with a possible rise in spending by between 4.1 per cent and 8.4 per cent.

Total budget revenues are expected to fall by 6 per cent from the plan to 37.9 trillion roubles ($494.78 billion).

"The budget situation is sharply deteriorating. Revenues will be lower and expenditures higher," the source said.

Pope Leo urged Russian and US leaders to renew their last arms control treaty, New START, which caps the number of strategic nuclear weapons deployed by each country.

Leo, the first US pope, said during his weekly audience at the Vatican that the current world situation "calls for doing everything possible to avert a new arms race."

"I issue an urgent appeal not to let this instrument lapse," said the pope. "It is more urgent than ever to replace the logic of fear and distrust with a shared ethic, capable of guiding choices toward the common good."

Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s top negotiator in trilateral peace talks involving Russia and the US, said that the first day of meetings in Abu Dhabi were "substantive and productive".

“The work was substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Umerov wrote on Telegram.

Two-day trilateral meetings took place in Abu Dhabi and are set to continue on Thursday as US-brokered negotiations desperately seek to end the nearly four-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law led the US delegation while Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov and Russia by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.

However, despite reports that the discussions were constructive, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russian troops would continue to fight until Kyiv made the right “decisions”.

Russia will act carefully and responsibly following the expiry of the New START treaty with the US that limits the size of both countries' strategic nuclear arsenals, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

The treaty, signed in 2010, expires at the end of Wednesday.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier said that Moscow would publish a document on Wednesday explaining its position on the expiry of the treaty.

"We made sure it includes answers to the many questions that have been received," Zakharova said.

Chinese president Xi Jinping held phone talks with US president Donald Trump on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Trump, who said he has an extremely good personal relationship with Xi, said the pair discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as several other topics including Taiwan, Iran, and the purchase of oil and gas from China by the US.

The Kremlin had advance warning of the call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said according to Interfax news agency, which came after Vladimir Putin also spoke to Xi on Wednesday.