One of Russia’s most powerful men, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is set to visit North Korea this weekend, in a sign of deepening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang as North Korea gets pulled deeper into Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials say Russia has fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight. That tops previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks.

An U.S. official says some weapons shipments to Ukraine have resumed, as the country's leader seeks more urgent support from his partners.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky kicked off the proceedings in Rome as Moscow pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack.

The co-sponsors of new bipartisan U.S. sanctions package targeting Russia have briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held "frank" discussions on Ukraine during Thursday's meeting, both sides said. The US criticised Moscow's lack of flexibility.

Latest news and live updates as Marco Rubio meet with Russian foreign minister amid tensions over Ukraine and Trump releases tariff letters to trading partners.

Germany and the US appear on the cusp of major policy changes, and Ukraine senses its opportunity to secure weapons.