CNN’s Fred Pleitgen asked Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whether he thinks the incoming Trump administration will be able to settle the Ukraine conflict. Hear this response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record-breaking defense budget, setting aside a staggering third of the government’s total spending as the war in Ukraine drains resources from both sides nearly three years on.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a military focused budget for 2025-2027, a document published on the official legal acts website showed on Sunday. The state budget for next year includes a 25% hike in military spending but will be the most secretive in post-Soviet history,