A growing crop of Russian soldiers have been tapped to fill a wave of government positions after serving in Ukraine, raising the prestige of military service and encouraging more people to enlist.

As the clock approached the time the Kremlin said its guns would fall silent for three days, the men at the National Guard monitoring center in eastern Ukraine had absolutely no faith in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire.

It's unclear if Trump's pronouncement will actually have any impact on the battlefield, but it is a twist in the diplomacy around the peace process.

As Russian tanks, missiles and drones rumble through Red Square on Friday for the annual Victory Day parade celebrating the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany, President Vladimir Putin will be joined by at least two dozen world leaders,

Kyiv accused Moscow of breaching its own ceasefire on Thursday, saying Russian forces struck hundreds of times along the front lines and launched guided bombs that killed and wounded civilians in several Ukrainian cities.

There was no negotiation process with Ukraine, with the Kremlin only saying that Kyiv "should follow" its lead.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement “further deepening” their partnership following talks in Moscow Thursday – a show of solidarity in the face of global uncertainties unleashed by US President Donald Trump’s “America First” diplomacy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a statement on Thursday to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between their two countries.