"We don't have problems with Sweden and Finland as we do with Ukraine," President Vladimir Putin says but warns Moscow will respond if NATO sets up infrastructure in these countries.
A new NATO guiding blueprint says Russia threatens security, peace and stability in the "Euro-Atlantic area", while it adds that Beijing's closer ties to Moscow go against Western interests.
Russian officials say the move is a last resort against the appreciating rouble, which Moscow fears may hit budget revenues and exports.
The ratings agency has warned that more defaults "are likely" as Moscow faces unprecedented Western sanctions that have increasingly isolated the country from the global financial system following its offensive in Ukraine.
Moscow says it is unable to send money to bondholders due to sanctions, blaming the Western countries for trying to push it into an “artificial” default.
Russia has also offered to upgrade Belarus' warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons during a meeting between Russian President Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg.
Ukraine acknowledges difficulties in fighting in the eastern regions as Russian forces capture territory along a frontline river and intensify pressure on two key cities on the 118th day of the armed conflict.
Russian streaming services have dramatically increased purchases of South Korean and Turkish serials, while interest in national film products is also growing in Russia.
Indpendent journalist Dmitry Muratov is set to auction off his Nobel Peace Prize, donating all proceeds to UNICEF in an effort to help Ukrainian children affected by Russia's offensive.
The European Commission recommends Ukraine, where fighting has entered the 114th day, be formally named a "candidate" for joining the EU, a move that could open up a long path towards joining the bloc.
"There is such a possibility. Its conditions were determined by both the Russian president and foreign minister," says Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special envoy for the South Asian country.
Despite US sanctions, Russia’s oil revenues have increased 50 percent per month since the beginning of 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.
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